


Danganronpa Level II: Off to our International Academy!

by UberDuper



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Fan Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Gen, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2019-10-28 01:49:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 45,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17778314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UberDuper/pseuds/UberDuper
Summary: To be an Ultimate is to have status. To be an Ultimate is to have knowledge. To be an Ultimate is to have power.These are all things that Yota Fuji, the Ultimate Antiquarian knows well. Ultimates, with all their power and prestige, are no strangers to travel, something Fuji himself is well aware of. Despite his familiarity with travel, it's a bit of a surprise when Fuji finds himself awake in the middle of the ocean on a mysterious cruise liner, surrounded by 15 other Ultimates and a trio of strange robot bears, with an ultimatum placed before him:Travel forever on this ship, or end somebody's life to earn your freedom.





	1. Prologue - All Aboard! Destination: Our International Academy!, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody! Welcome to my first... planned multichapter story! Yup, I'm writing my own Fangan, as evidenced by the tags! I hope that everybody will end up enjoying this story I'm concocting, but there are a few things I need to say before we get into the story proper.
> 
> First things first: this story will contain MAJOR NDRv3 spoilers! Due to the planned structure of this story, the plot twist for NDRv3 will be revealed in the story's Chapter 6. In addition, there is a Spoiler Character(!) that will be introduced in the very next chapter! I won't say what this character spoils, or who they are (as that's another spoiler in and of itself). Therefore... as much as I love people reading my work, please don't read this story before you've finished NDRv3! Don't want some dumb fanfic ruining the game for you!
> 
> Second thing: I'm posting this chapter earlier than I should, because I need to ask about the third thing. As of me posting this, only the first Chapter is completely outlined, and the second Chapter is outlined up to the trial. I'm saying this mainly because I want people to be aware of how early on in production this story is! Don't be surprised if, after this is posted, it doesn't update for a while, even to finish the Prologue.
> 
> Third and final thing: For people who read and end up enjoying this... I have a question for you! Would you like to see Free Time Events realized in the story proper, or would you prefer for me to exclude them in favor of the narrative? I know that's a hard question to answer without having seen all the characters, but I feel like it's an important aspect of the story that I'd like to address beforehand. I will say that I am currently defaulting to having no FTEs in the story, and potentially posting them as a separate story here on AO3, and will do that if nobody mentions anything. If you do have an answer, please feel free to comment it or send an ask to my Tumblr (uber--duper.tumblr.com)! Thank you!
> 
> Anyways, apologies for that super long winded introduction. Here's the story. Thanks for checking this out!

**BEGIN PROLOGUE:**

**ALL ABOARD! DESTINATION: OUR INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY!**

* * *

 

“...

...

...

A little bit about myself? Ah, that’s easy. I guess you could say that I’m not the biggest people person, haha. No, I… I’m definitely, well… a loser. Yeah, I guess that’s the easiest way to put things. Grade A Loser, Dorkster McSpazatron, Professional Punching Bag, all of the above and more. I always have been. But not anymore, no siree. Because… see, I wanna show everybody that I’m not some piece of shit loser that gets shoved into lockers and pushed around. I’m gonna show everybody who was mean to me that they’re the idiots! I’m gonna show ‘em that I’m a winner! And if I gotta kill to do it, then I’m gonna, haha! Because I’m-

I’m...”

 

 

* * *

“…

…

…

A little bit about myself? Ah, I’ll do my best. Well, to start things off, my name is Fuji Yota. I’m a boy of average height and average build. I’m not strong and muscular, nor am I skinny and weak. I’ve got shaggy white hair that sticks up in places and red eyes with bags under them, along with a big ol’ pair of super thick glasses. I like to wear ordinary clothes, I usually just put on a black jacket that I leave unzipped and a shirt that I’ve picked up from one of my trips over the world.. Oh, pants too. Sturdy ones that can take a lot of walking, and dust, and wear. I also need to wrap my hands with bandages, both because they get cut a lot and because I don’t want to contaminate potential artifacts with oils from my skin. Even with all that… I’m kinda boring. If I had to say one thing about myself… well, I’m not very easy to pick out of a crowd, haha.

Still, there is something special about me. I’ve always been enamored with physical history to a… really strong degree. Things like… you know; artifacts, tools, statues, books, art. Things with history, with culture. It’s all so fascinating, finding things that come from a time so different from ours... I just… tend to get lost in it, y’know? I’m a bit of a collector, and I’ve traveled all over looking for this kind of stuff. I’m really good at finding and researching things like that. My friends always gave me a bit of flak for being such a nerd about that kind of stuff, and I can’t really blame them, hah.

But hey, it’s not all bad, you know. Because I’m really good at it. And in this world, people with talents like mine… well, they’re special. When students are in high school, or are of high school age at least, then they can get officially recognized as a student of extreme talent in a certain field or category. Or, uh, ‘Ultimate’ talent, rather. As for me? Well, all of that history nerdiness has gotten me somewhere, surprisingly. I, Fuji Yota, have been awarded the title of ‘Ultimate Antiquarian’. Pretty neat, right? I’ve been all over the world, researching artifacts and antiques from all over. It’s a pretty sweet gig, I get to see all sorts of cool places and meet all sorts of nice people who know my name, all while I receive funding for doing the stuff I love to do...

Oh, what does the ‘Ultimate’ title thing come from? Well, it… it…

it…

it means…

where...

where did it come from?...

O-Oh, who gave it to me?...

Well that’s a really…

really…

easy…

question…

to...

answer…

…

..

.

.

.

right?...”

* * *

 

“We have to do something!” A rather loud voice caught Yota Fuji’s ears, and he clenched his eyes shut a little more. God, his brain hurt. It pounded, throbbing, threatening to dribble out of his ears. He needed… god, just five more minutes…

“Hey man, chillax!” Another voice said, clearly more amused than the other voice. Fuji felt his brow knit together. Was this… a conversation? Were people talking to each other? They must have thought he was still asleep. “What do you even want us to do?”

“I… I dunno!” The first voice said. Fuji groaned and opened his eyes.

He was in a strangely large room, one with a high ceiling and some fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Underneath him seemed to be… a table of sorts, and when he turned his head, he noticed the mint green tablecloth. The floor seemed to be carpet, maroon in color, and there were more tables, as well as chairs. Was this… a dining hall?

Fuji sat up with another groan, finally prompting the two voices to stop talking and look in his direction. In the dining hall were two other boys, who were staring at him. One seemed amused, while the other looked relieved.

“Oh, thank god.” The relieved boy said, his shoulders slumping. He was the taller of the two, with wavy blond hair, green eyes, tan skin, and a muscular build. He had on a cheesy looking Hawaiian shirt in yellow and orange, over a gray t-shirt and cargo shorts. A pair of 3D glasses hung from his shirt collar, while a gold chained necklace hung from his neck. His sandals tapped anxiously on the carpet. “Dude, we thought you were dead. Shit was scary.”

“Don’t listen to this jokester.” The other boy said, grinning. He was only slightly more average looking, with fluffy orange hair and sharp golden eyes that looked Fuji over. His face was covered in freckles. He was wearing a navy sweater vest over a black collared shirt, with a strange red tie that looked to be cut into the shape of a lightning bolt. Aside from that, he had on gray dress shoes and pressed dress pants, and Fuji caught the glint of his golden earrings in the room’s lighting. “I knew you were alive.” He snickered, motioning at the blond boy, a bracelet of black shells jingling against his wrist.

“What’s… going on?” Fuji asked, eyes going back to drifting around the room. There seemed to be a stage at one side of the room, complete with a red curtain. “Where are we?”

“Dunno, man. Your guess is as good as ours.” The blond boy said, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’ve been locked in here while you were conked out. I tried the doors, but none of ‘em budged.”

“Locked in?...” Fuji repeated.

“Yup.” The orange haired boy replied, grinning. “The doors to the kitchen are locked. To starve to death next to a source of food.” He sighed dramatically. “How cruel.”

“Shut up, man.” The blond boy snapped. “We’re not gonna starve to death in here, alright?”

“But there’s no way of knowing that!” The orange haired boy snickered. “For all we know, we’re gonna be stuck in this room f-”

He was cut off by an unseen intercom suddenly crackling to life. The three of them glanced around, looking for the source of the noise, but Fuji couldn’t spot it anywhere. A voice, crackly and warped, came up over the speakers. “Hello? Hello?! Is this thing on?!… Oh, right. They can’t respond.” The voice laughed, then continued. “Hello, hello! Hello hello! Hey, have you ever thought about how strange the word ‘hello’ sounds? Just repeating it over and over… hello hello hello hello he-”

The intercom cut out briefly. It then came back on a moment later, a different, more… metallic voice coming on. “ATTENTION-STUDENTS.” The intercom said. “THIS-IS-AN-OFFICIAL-ANNOUNCEMENT. ALL-SIXTEEN-STUDENTS-HAVE-SUCCESSFULLY-RECOVERED. PLEASE-FEEL-FREE-TO-VENTURE-FORTH-AND-MEET-YOUR-FELLOW-ULTIMATES. YOU-WILL-BE-CONTACTED-AGAIN-ONCE-YOUR-INTRODUCTIONS-ARE-FINISHED.” With that, the intercom cut off once again, and a loud ‘click!’ resounded throughout the room.

“Ooh, that must have been the doors! Awesome!” The orange haired boy cheered. “I’m gonna meet some Ultimates!” And then he was gone, scampering towards one of the room’s exits. He happily threw the door open, and disappeared, the door swinging shut behind him.

“...huh.” The blond boy said, blinking. “That’s uh… okay.”

“Hmm...” Fuji pursed his lips. “There’s sixteen students here? Sixteen Ultimates nonetheless... Why were we… locked in a room then?” He frowned, then glanced over at the other boy. “Hey uh...”

The blond boy looked over at Fuji, and suddenly his face lit up. “Oh, damn! I just realized!” He took two bounding steps over to Fuji and stuck a hand out. “Dude, I’ve never met another Ultimate before! Heard all about ‘em, but I’ve never seen one up in the flesh! Oh, this is so awesome.”

“Oh, uh… likewise.” Fuji took his hand, a small smile forming on his face. “Uh… I’m Fuji. Fuji Yota. I’m uh… the Ultimate Antiquarian.”

**YOTA FUJI, ULTIMATE ANTIQUARIAN**

“Dude, that sounds sick.” The blond gleefully shook Fuji’s hand, then laughed guiltily. “Gotta tell ya though. I got… no idea what the hell an antiquarian is.”

“I uh… go around the world, study artifacts and stuff from ancient cultures. It’s… really fun.”

“Damn, sounds like it. Shit, I’m kinda jealous.” The blond boy laughed. “Oh, I should probably introduce myself, huh? Name’s Dewa Junpei. I’m the Ultimate Movie Critic! It’s kind of awesome.”

**JUNPEI DEWA, ULTIMATE MOVIE CRITIC**

“Movie Critic?” Fuji parroted. “So like… you get to watch all kinds of movies and talk about them?”

“Yup!” Dewa grinned. “Shit’s awesome. I get to see stuff before it even comes out in theaters. People love to hear what I gotta say about things, and lemme tell ya, it’s so much fun talkin’ about it! Hey, we should watch a movie sometime. I’ll be sure to tell you all the good shit first.”

“Sounds like fun.” Fuji smiled, though he soon after bit his lip. “Though… maybe we should figure out what’s going on here first. There’s… something's wrong about this situation, and it’s kind of weirding me out a bit.”

“For real.” Dewa nodded, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. “This is givin’ me the heebie jeebies, and we haven’t even been here that long.” He sighed, then looked over at Fuji. “Hey though. We should totally, like, go together. I think this shit would be a lot easier to process with two people.” He grinned. “Plus, you seem pretty cool. I was gonna say that you’re better than the other guy, but that’s not exactly a hard hurdle to jump.”

“He seemed like, uh… a bit of a handful.” Fuji admitted.

“You don’t know the half of it.” Dewa shook his head again. “Barely spent an hour with him and he was already gettin’ on my nerves. Dude was weird as fuck. Now that I think about it...” Dewa frowned, putting his hands on his hips. “I’m not even sure what the fuck kinda Ultimate he was. He just… pinged me as really weird. Kinda easy to talk to though, for what it’s worth, even if he was a fuckin’ asshole...” He trailed off, then shrugged. “Anyways, we should probably get goin’. Don’t see us getting much done if we’re just standing around talkin’ about that weirdo.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Fuji nodded. “I guess we should follow him though, unless that other exit leads anywhere.” He looked over at the other set of doors, and Dewa followed his gaze.

“Nah, that’s just the kitchen.” Dewa replied. “It was locked earlier, but I doubt there’s gonna be anything or anybody in there.” He paused, then frowned. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to check, though. Maybe somebody is passed out in there.”

With that said, the duo made their way over to the kitchen doors. Now that they were closer, Fuji could see a little plaque over top the set of doors, which read ‘KITCHEN’. Dewa pushed the doors open, and the two peered inside.

The room was large, though much smaller than the room they were just in. The floor was linoleum and the walls were tiled white. Fuji squinted as he looked in due to how the fluorescent lights reflected off of the walls and floor. When his vision cleared somewhat, he could see… typical kitchen stuff.

“Woah,” Dewa said. “This place is actually pretty loaded. This is some crazy stuff...” He stepped into the kitchen, a look of wonder on his face. Fuji followed him, blinking.

The Kitchen had all sorts of typical kitchen appliances, like stoves and sinks and counters. There was a row of microwaves along one wall, on top of yet another pristine counter top. Opposite the microwaves was a huge rack of cooking implements, which Fuji found himself staring at in surprise. There were knives, peelers, shredders… all sorts of sharp things. Fuji swallowed thickly. Jeeze, this was a lot of sharp stuff.

“Yo, Fuji, come check this!” Dewa called out, beckoning him over. Fuji glanced up.

Dewa was standing, hands on his hips, admiring some massive industrial ovens in the back of the Kitchen as Fuji approached. They were huge, going up to the ceiling, though they seemed to have some space underneath, as they were mounted on wheels. Fuji touched one, pushing with a little bit of force, and the oven groaned as it moved a centimeter backwards.

“These are huge...” Fuji said.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Dewa replied, standing next to him. “Though based on the size of that dining room we were just in, these things make sense. If you can fill that room, you’re gonna need… a lot of food.”

“So that was a dining room...” Fuji mused aloud, frowning. He supposed… that made sense.

“Yeah.” Dewa nodded, then glanced over at Fuji. “Hey, question, if you don’t mind.”

“Huh?” Fuji looked over at him.

“How’d you get your title?” Dewa asked. “I mean… it sounds cool as all hell, but… you’re not one of the Ultimates I’ve heard about, and it seems like it’d be hard to get a start on stuff like that. Not like me, at least...” He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh!” Fuji nodded. “Right! Um, yeah I don’t mind. Let’s see…” He pressed a hand to his chin. “It had to be… Well, I’m a bit of, well… a nerd. I’ll admit it.” He laughed. “This kind of stuff had always interested me, but… see...” He frowned, rubbing at his chin. “I think it was mainly luck. My family’s always loved to take out of country trips, and so… like, one time we went to Central America, and we were on a jungle trail. I kinda… got lost, and wandered around for a bit,

“But then!” Fuji continued, and he felt himself straighten his back. It wasn’t often he got to talk about stuff like this. “I found this small shard of obsidian, affixed as a part of this piece of a necklace. I picked it up and immediately went to go find my way back. It took a couple hours, but I eventually made it back to my parents.” He laughed. “And then I took the necklace to a nearby museum, and had a chat with the curator about it’s history. Apparently they’d been looking for something like this for years, and I had just delivered it to them, with impeccable knowledge used for dating it and figuring out its purpose. It’s all… been kinda a blur from there.” He admitted, rubbing his neck.

“That...” Dewa said, face flat. Fuji furrowed his brow, wondering if he’d bored Dewa. Shit… However, before he could apologize, Dewa’s face burst into a huge grin. “is so awesome. I’m a traveler too, but, like, nothing on that kinda level!” He laughed. “I just go to different countries and shit, watch their movies and eat some food. And people love me.”

“How did you get your talent?” Fuji asked.

“Aw, nothin’ big.” Dewa said, grin bashful. “Had an online blog where I critiqued movies. It got super big, to the point where, like, people were citing me for academic papers and shit like that. Became a phenomenon for a bit, and it’s never really died down.”

“Wait...” Fuji frowned, narrowing his eyes at Dewa. The other boy chuckled awkwardly, glancing away from Fuji’s scrutinizing stare. Then Fuji’s eyes lit up. “Wait! Are you the owner of Junjipan?!”

“Aw shit.” Dewa laughed again. “Guilty as charged. I feel kinda bad about not knowing you now...”

“No way, don’t be.” Fuji said, staring in awe. “Dude, this is unbelievable. I loved your review of ‘Cardimum Caricatures’. It really discussed the nuance present in the movie that I feel like a lot of people missed out on.”

“Goddamn, don’t get me started.” Dewa rolled his eyes. “To think that people overlooked the delicate web of socioeconomic commentary and references to the 1970’s political climate and called it a simple thriller film...” He shook his head. “Makes my blood boil, honestly.” Dewa glanced over at Fuji with a grin, though he quickly looked away again.

“Uh.” He said. “Not that I wanna stop talking to you, but...” Dewa sported a crooked grin when he glanced back over at Fuji. “We should probably get a move on.”

“Ah? Oh!” Fuji flushed a bit, chuckling. “You’re right. Yeah, we should go.”

The air a bit thick now, Fuji shuffled towards the exit, Dewa on his heels. The two passed through the Dining Hall, heading towards the door that didn’t lead to the Kitchen. What they found on the other side was…

“Woah, dude.” Dewa said, voice low. “This is… somethin’ else.”

The hallway they found themselves in was fancy, with soft, chocolate brown carpet under foot. There was a pattern worked into it that snaked across the middle of the walkway, and the red paint on the walls made it stand out even more. There were regal looking light fixtures mounted on the walls, and the place gave off an aura of class.

“It sure is fancy...” Fuji murmured. “What is this place?”

“Dunno...” Dewa’s voice was slowly returning to its regular volume. “Fuji, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore...”

“...huh?” Fuji glanced at his companion, who seemed transfixed by the walls.

“Forget it. Just a joke.” Dewa replied. “We should see what’s up with this place. And find those other Ultimates as well...”

“Right...” Fuji nodded, glancing down the hall. As he did so, there was the sound of a door clicking shut coming from their right. Dewa snapped his head in its direction and grabbed Fuji’s wrist, prompting a surprised ‘woah!’.

The two booked it down the hall before they approached a room with a plaque reading ‘LAUNDRY ROOM’. There was talking coming from inside, and Dewa nodded. Fuji blinked, staring flatly at Dewa as he took up what could only be an attacking pose. Did he think this was some kind of ninja movie?

Regardless, Fuji really couldn’t stop Dewa from shouting, ‘HIYAH!’ and throwing the door open to reveal two young women talking quietly in what was most definitely a laundry room.

The first girl screamed, grabbing onto the second’s arm. The first girl was tall and gangly, with a waterfall of incredibly fluffy dark purple hair that looked like it went down to at least her upper thighs. There was a thick spattering of freckles across her face, which was currently frozen in an expression of fear. She had on a tan plaid waistcoat over a mauve collared shirt, and a pleated tan skirt that went down to her knees. Her free hand was holding up an over the shoulder satchel that she was currently putting between herself and Dewa.

The second girl had simply cocked her head, her bob of black hair swishing as she did so. It was when looking at her that Fuji noted with shame that he was the shortest person in the room, this girl slightly taller than him. She had clear tan skin and curious purple eyes, which were currently zeroed in on Dewa. Her attire consisted of a white collared shirt and black tie with matching black high heels, alongside a brown pencil skirt with attached suspenders. Curiously, she had a brown fedora on her head at an angle, and a pencil tucked behind her ear. A camera hung from around her neck, and Fuji could see a notepad and some pencils peeking out of her shirt pocket.

After a long moment of silence, Dewa lowered his arms. “Oh.” He said simply. “You’re not, like, monsters or anything.”

“Not really.” The girl with the fedora replied, turning to the first girl with a soft, yet embarrassed smile. “Hey, Hiramoto, I think it’s alright.”

“I-I-If you s-say so...” ‘Hiramoto’ replied, shivering as she pulled her hand away from the second girl’s shoulder.

“So, intruders. I pose a question for you.” The second girl said, grinning. In a flash, the notepad and a pen were in her hands, and her eyes glinted in the laundry room’s light, “What are your names and talents? Please, let me know so I can record them!”

“In… intruders?” Dewa asked.

“I do believe you two were the ones who barged in on me and this helpless young woman, and not the other way around.”

“I-I’m… n-not helpless...” ‘Hiramoto’ said, seeming to sink back into her curtain of hair.

“Of course.” The fedora girl replied, patting her on the shoulder.

“Um...” Fuji said, stepping in before they could get too off track. “I’m Fuji Yota, Ultimate Antiquarian.”

“Ooh, how unique!” The fedora girl said, scribbling in her notebook. “Haven’t heard that word in a long moon.” She pursed her lips excitedly, then looked up at Dewa. “And you, tall and aggressive. Your name and talent, please!”

“A-Aggressive?!” Dewa shouted, causing ‘Hiramoto’ to cower, moving to hide partially behind the fedora girl. He grumbled, rubbing his arm before speaking up. “Uh… it’s Dewa Junpei. I’m the Ultimate Movie Critic.”

“Interesting, interesting...” Fedora girl murmured, continuing scribbling. A bit of silence settled over the room before Fuji cleared his throat.

“Excuse me, miss, um...” He began. Fedora girl looked up, face blank, and then grinned.

“Oh, oh! Now you want my name and talent. Heh.” She crossed her arms and shook her head. “How the tables have turned. Very well.” She puffed out her chest and raised her volume. “I am Uma Fukumi, the world’s most intrepid reporter. Yup, you’ve heard right, the talent gifted to me is that of the Ultimate Reporter!”

**FUKUMI UMA, ULTIMATE REPORTER**

“From all over the world, you’ll hear my exploits.” Uma said, clearly smug. “I’ve been to Shanghai, Baghdad, and Korea! I’ve visited the museums of the USA and the monuments of Peru. Those who fear the truth cower at my name in the papers! And some day.” She glanced upwards, eyes sparkling. “I wish to report amongst the stars...”

“Uh.” Dewa said.

“Sounds awesome.” Fuji said, forcing a smile. Well, she… she was certainly something else.

“Yes, it is.” Uma nodded. “But now the spotlight shifts.” Fuji watched as ‘Hiramoto’ froze up from behind Uma. “Indeed, for now, my lovely friend shall introduce herself as well!” Uma stepped to the side with a flourish, leaving her standing out in the open. ‘Hiramoto’ began shivering, pulling up her bag in front of her chest.

“U-U-Uh… U-U-Um… I-I-I,” She started shaking, prompting Uma to blink and glance up at her. “M-M-My n-nam-me’s… I-I’m...”

“Hey, hey!” Uma borderline shouted. The other girl froze up, and Uma smiled at her. “Take it slow, ‘kay? Remember, we planned for this!”

“S-Slow...” The other girl repeated, taking a deep breath. “Right… r-remember the plan… okay...” She squared her shoulders and bit her lip. Then, she opened her eyes and smiled. “Good day. My name is Hiramoto Nadako, and I’m the Ultimate Tutor. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Unlike before, her voice was clear and strong, and Fuji thought she sounded like a completely different person.

**NADAKO HIRAMOTO, ULTIMATE TUTOR**

“There ya go!” Uma cheered, lightly shaking Hiramoto’s shoulder. Hiramoto giggled, raising her bag up in front of her mouth. Fuji barely heard her whispering a ‘thanks’.

“Uh.” Dewa said, “You’re a tutor?” He said what Fuji was thinking. Fuji watched in horror as Hiramoto’s entire body seemed to wilt at the question.

“I-I… I know I’m… n-not much to l-look at...” Hiramoto admitted. “And… and I’m e-extremely tim-mid. A-And my stutter makes… makes it hard to u-understand m-me...” She squeezed her eyes shut. “But… i-if I h-have time to p-p-pr-ractice… th-then I c-can… sound… sound better… A-And when I’m… n-not nervous… I can… I’m good at… explaining. Things.” She ended awkwardly, pulling her bag up to mostly hide her face.

“Yup, yup.” Uma nodded, putting her hands on her hips. “Though I’ve known her only for a short time, I have deemed that Hiramoto is one hundred per-cent, completely and utterly reliable!” That seemed to embarrass Hiramoto, and she seemed to recede further into her hair.

“...riiiiight.” Dewa said, looking unconvinced. He glanced over at Fuji with a ‘this is kind of dumb’ expression, and Fuji responded with a frown. Dewa sighed. “Well, it’s cool to meet you guys, but-”

“Hold it!” Uma interrupted, taking a sudden step forward and ending up right in front of Dewa. “Do I know you?”

“Do you?” Dewa asked, glancing at Fuji with a look on his face that screamed ‘help me’.

“...Were you, perhaps, visiting the Cineteca in the Matadeo Madrid about… two years ago?”

At that, Dewa’s mouth dropped open, and he blinked a few times before responding. “Y-Yeah, I was. During the late spring, I visited for a special film showing.”

“Yes, yes.” Uma nodded, a satisfied grin on her face. “I was there at the time, reporting on the film’s production. I never got to see you in person, but I couldn’t never forget the commotion surrounding the amazing Dewa Junpei’s arrival.”

“Jeez, I’m a bit more popular than I realized...” Dewa laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

As the two began to talk about Spain, Fuji took the opportunity to look around the room. Aside from the four of them in there… the Laundry Room was more or less what it said on the tin. Linoleum floors, fluorescent lights, and two benches in the center. There were washing machines lined up against the side walls, with the far wall occupied by dryers. Near the door was a cabinet, which, after a quick check, revealed a treasure trove full of detergent, bleach, and dryer sheets.

Turning away from the cabinet, Fuji found Dewa and Uma still going at it, Uma animated with over the top gestures and Dewa laughing.

“Well goddamn.” Dewa said, “It was good meeting you, Uma.” He grinned. “Still, no offense but I think me and Fuji have wasted enough time here. We’re supposed to be, like, walking around and finding people, right?”

“Indeed.” Uma replied, folding her arms. “We heard that announcement over the intercom as well. And not long after, there was somebody running around in the halls.”

“...” Dewa and Fuji shared a look, then Dewa spoke up. “Average height, freckles, orange hair?” He asked. Uma and Hiramoto glanced at each other, then nodded.

“Y-You’ve s-seen him?” Hiramoto asked.

“Spent a fuckin’ hour locked up with him before Fuji woke up.” Dewa sighed. “He’s just as annoying as he sounds.”

“If it helps,” Uma said, “if you keep following the hallway, you should probably find him. There were a few others that way as well.” She pursed her lips, then shrugged. “We should probably get going too, right Hiramoto? I sense a scoop. Later, boys!”

“I-If you say so...” Hiramoto replied, offering Fuji and Dewa a limp wave as she and Uma exited the Laundry Room.

“They’re uh… certainly some characters.” Dewa said once the door shut.

“No kidding...” Fuji replied, chuckling. “We should probably get going too.”

“Right on.”

Fuji and Dewa exited the Laundry Room, hearing Uma chatter from the way they came. With that as a landmark, the two turned in the other direction and continued on, listening for more talking or any sounds that would indicate the presence of any other students. The first door they found had a nameplate reading ‘STAIRWELL 1’, and was locked and covered in caution tape. Dewa made a comment about off limit areas that went over Fuji’s head, and the two kept going until-

“This shit blows!”

The two came to halt, another angry shout coming from a room up ahead. Dewa looked at Fuji, then shrugged. “We should probably check that out.”

“Mmhmm.” Fuji nodded, and the two made their way to the door, the nameplate above it reading ‘KNICK-KNACK SHOP’.

The room beyond was… well, rather commercial. There were a variety of glass shelved stands and clothing racks, holding souvenirs like snow globes, statuettes, cups, and novel t-shirts. There was a counter up front with a cash register, and mounted into the wall was a caged off cabinet with things like cigarettes and matchbooks. And standing in the back of the room were two people, gathered around what looked like… a human sized gumball machine?

“What the fuck even is this?!” One of the people, a girl, shouted.

“Why are you shouting?” The other, a boy, snapped.

“Because the fact that this hunk of junk is here is just… pissing me off!!”

“...why?” The boy asked, massaging his temples.

“I don’t know, why the hell are you asking dumbass questions?” She snapped back. As she did so, her eyes flicked to the side, and she caught sight of Fuji and Dewa standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. The boy followed her gaze, and came to look at the pair as well.

“Um… hello.” Fuji greeted.

“Salutations.” The boy replied, walking up to the pair. Now that he was closer, Fuji got a better look at him. He was definitely overweight, and had close cropped brown hair alongside fair skin. His brown eyes drilled into Fuji’s face, and made him feel self-conscious. The boy wore a white lab coat over a red buttoned shirt, which was tucked haphazardly into his corduroy pants. He also had on a monocle, and had a pipe in his mouth, making Fuji feel like he was looking at somebody fifty years older. “I take it you two are Ultimates as well?”

“Yeah.” Dewa replied, nodding.

“Again with the stupid questions.” The girl rolled her eyes as she approached. Her approach granted Fuji a better look at her and her… interesting attire. She herself was just a bit shorter than Fuji, though her presence alone was intimidating. She had a bulky build, and extremely curly black hair, which came down to her shoulders in a huge mass, dyed green at the ends, and was held back with a violet hairband. Her face was angular, with a pointed nose and sharp jawline, as well as icy blue eyes. Her clothes were weird as well, a black letterman jacket with white sleeves over a gray undershirt. Her jean skirt was short, showing off her fishnet stockings and thigh high boots. The multitude of ear and lip piercings, alongside the studded choker, spiked wristbands, and black lipstick all combined together to made Fuji incredibly nervous. “Fuck are you two?”

“U-Um… I’m… uh... F-Fuji Yota, Ultimate Antiquarian.” Fuji stuttered out, then elbowed Dewa.

“Eh? Oh, right!” He cleared his throat. “Name’s Dewa Junpei. I’m the Ultimate Movie Critic.”

“Interesting talents.” The boy commented. “Not very practical, but they could be worse, I suppose...”

“Hell’s that supposed to mean?” Dewa asked, frowning. The girl simply stared directly in to Fuji’s eyes, and he heard her snort when he broke eye contact.

“Exactly what it sounded like.” He replied, nodding matter-of-factly. “Your talents, while nice, do not do much to expand humanity’s more empirical knowledge.”

“Uh…” Dewa blinked. “You wanna, like, try that one again? In Japanese this time?” That prompted a laugh from the girl, as she leaned forward and smacked her knee. The boy’s lip twitched, and he adjusted his pipe before speaking.

“Your talents aren’t useful for hard knowledge.” The boy said.

“...and yours is?” Dewa asked, crossing his arms.

“Of course,” The boy let out a ‘harumph’, straightening his posture before speaking. “You are talking to the mathematical genius, Goto Koyo. I have rightfully earned the position of ‘Ultimate Mathematician’, and I expect you to recognize that kind of prestige.”

**KOYO GOTO, ULTIMATE MATHEMATICIAN**

“Never heard of ya.” Dewa said simply, scratching at his nose.

“Of course not.” Goto ‘hmph’d. “Your talent doesn’t bring you into the sciences, so I cannot imagine somebody like you would have.” He side eyed Dewa, then pursed his lips. “Though it’s not like you seem the type to care much for knowledge anyway.”

“...” Dewa scowled, an insult clearly playing on his lips, before he snorted and turned to the girl. “And what’s your deal?”

“My deal?” She asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Well, I’m not sure you’d understand, but I’ll say it anyway.” She put her a hand on her hip, flashing a peace sign with her other. “Tadamori Tomo, Ultimate Personal Reformist, baby!”

**TOMO TADAMORI, ULTIMATE PERSONAL REFORMIST**

“...Personal Reformist?” Dewa cocked his head. “Is that even a real thing?”

“’Course it is, moron!” Tadamori snapped. She flapped her hand dismissively at him. “If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have the title, now would I?”

“...” Dewa took a second to mull that over, and in the lull, Fuji spoke up.

“So, uh… a Reformist? So you… reform people?”

“Close enough, tiger.” Tadamori said, sashaying over to Fuji and throwing an arm over his shoulders. He yelped as she pulled him close, pressing the side of his head to her neck. Dewa’s eyes widened, and Goto turned away with a scoff. “Lemme explain, so your friend here gets it.”

“This oughtta be good.” Dewa scoffed.

“Damn right it will.” Tadamori said, rotating her body, and Fuji’s by extension, so that Dewa was partially behind them. “So basically, consider this:” Tadamori cleared her throat, still keeping Fuji held close. “You’re a loser down on your luck, mainly because life dealt you a shitty lot, because you look gross and can’t spell the word ‘casserole’ and some other stupid shit like that. What you do have, however, is like ten thousand yen burning a hole in your pocket and or bank account. Well then you call up ol’ Tadamori, and she makes your life less shitty. She teaches you how to spell, helps touch up your appearance to your ideal, and helps you learn shit that isn’t stupid and is useful. Tadaa, you’re a functioning member of society!” She grinned, glancing at Fuji out of the corner of her eyes. “That’s what I do: reformation on a case-by-case basis.”

“That’s stupid.” Dewa said.

“Shut up.” Tadamori snapped. “I don’t think I was talking to you, shithead. I was talking to your cute friend, who actually cared to ask about my talent, unlike you other two clowns.”

“C-Cute?” Fuji stuttered, face flushing.

“Besides,” Tadamori continued, ignoring Fuji. “it’s clearly not stupid, because I got my talent. I’ve reformed people who became politicians, movie stars, CEOs. You name it, I’ve made somebody for it.”

“Yes, well this explanation is certainly getting tedious.” Goto rolled his eyes. “And unless you all desire to hear the exploits of my impressive talent, and multitude of unsolvable mathematical conundrums that I have seen through, I suggest we end it here.”

“Again, Japanese please.” Dewa said, prompting a glare from Goto.

“Fine. Whatever.” Tadamori threw her arms up, releasing Fuji from the chokehold she had him in. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, face red. “But hey, Fuji.” Tadamori turned to him with a smile that he was quick to reciprocate. “If you ever wanna, y’know, talk about anything, find me, yeah? You’re cool.” She winked at him, and Fuji found his mouth opening and closing.

“Alright, alright. We’re going.” Dewa snapped, grabbing Fuji’s wrist. Goto snorted, and Tadamori bid Fuji farewell with a flirty ‘ta ta!’, before Dewa dragged him away.

“Damn, dude.” Dewa said once they were out in the hallway walking around. “You act like a girl’s never flirted with you before.”

“I… I uh… I’m not... ehe ahaha...” Fuji managed, trying to adjust his hair even as he looked down with a dopey grin.

“Jeez.” Dewa sighed, shaking his head. “Guess you haven’t.”

The two spent a bit more time wandering around, letting Fuji cool off. They didn’t find much. Much like a similar door from earlier, there was another door that was covered in caution tape, this time with a plaque reading ‘STAIRWELL 2’. Again like the first one, this door was locked, and didn’t budge when pushed, so Dewa declared that it wasn’t worth trying to figure it out.

The two then found another two rooms, these ones mercifully empty. The first, labeled ‘DISPOSAL ROOM’, was a small concrete room with fluorescent lighting and a trash chute in the wall, and was otherwise empty. The second, labeled ‘ELEVATOR ROOM’, was similar in structure, being mainly concrete. This one was slightly more populated than the last, with a vending machine in addition to the elevator door. However, like the stairwell doors, the elevator doors were covered in caution tape, and the elevator call button did nothing when pressed.

“What the hell, man?” Dewa said, Fuji glancing over at him. “Can’t even get anything out of the vending machine. Don’t have any coins.” He frowned. “I really wanted some chips, too...”

“...” Fuji frowned, sticking his hands into his pockets. He didn’t have his wallet. Or his phone. Or anything else. He took a few moments to pat himself down, which caught Dewa’s attention.

“What’s up, dude?” He asked.

“You’re right.” Fuji remarked. “I don’t have… anything. Where did all of my stuff go?”

“That’s...” Dewa frowned, patting himself down as well. “That’s weird.” He glanced at the taped up elevator. “What the hell is going on?”

“We should… probably keep going.” Fuji said.

“...yeah. We’ll figure out shit later.” Dewa replied, the two exiting the room.

The two of them found themselves wandering the halls aimlessly. They passed by the same few rooms a few times, peeking into the Laundry Room to find it empty the first time they went by. Dewa planted himself firmly in the middle of the hallway and glanced around, before Fuji realized something.

“We forgot to go the other way.”

They retraced their steps to the Dining Hall and, this time, went left out of the Dining Hall instead of right. At the end of that hallway was a T-shaped intersection, and Fuji could spy some kind of… desk off to the right side. He stepped closer to it, and found his mouth falling open in surprise as he did so.

Above the T-intersection was a huge staircase, split in two by a large landing. The room itself seemed… extravagant, with soft maroon carpet underfoot, just like in the hallway. However, this area had paneled wooden walls in a dark, glossy brown, and a massive crystal chandelier hanging overhead, projecting fragmented light all over the room. To Fuji’s right was the desk, five computers stationed at it, seeming like some sort of reception desk. On the opposite wall was a small room with a clear door, with lockers inside.

“Holy shit.” Dewa remarked, staring up at the chandelier. “That’s… holy fuck.”

“What is this place?” Fuji said, probably for the fourth or fifth time that day. Still, with such an extravagant room, it bore repeating. Fuji and Dewa wandered out into the central area, and Fuji noticed the set of double doors shining brightly in front of him. Before he could walk over to check it out, however, there was a sharp whistle from behind him, and then a shout.

“Yoo hoo! I know you’re no fair maidens, but it’s nice to see people anyway!”

Fuji whirled around, finding two figures standing on the landing.

The first, and more prominent figure was a girl, excitedly waving at them. She had brown skin and turquoise hair, done up in a huge, poofy ponytail, with two locks hanging in front of her ears. Her eyes were big and hazel, and stared down at the two of them. Her… figure was hard for Fuji to ignore, but he could tell that there was some muscle on her. Her dress was… well, a dress, red and low cut, with slits at the sides of the lower hem, and patterned with maroon waves. She had black thigh highs on, and… something strapped to the visible part of each of her thighs. And from here, Fuji could see the septum piercing peeking out of her nose.

In a stark contrast to her appearance was the second figure. He was of average height despite his slouch, with a kind of frail build. His skin was very pale, as though he didn’t see much of the sun, and his green eyes had prominent black bags under them. His hair was short and black, with some curls to it. His style was the simplest Fuji had seen all day. He had on a simple olive hoodie, fluff ringing the hood. Headphones hung around his neck, looking to be connected to something in his pocket, and he had on jeans and sneakers.

“Aw, come on!” The girl shouted again. “You gonna stand down there all day or are you gonna come up and say hi?!” She waved them up, and Fuji pushed his body into motion, Dewa following.

“...hey.” The boy greeted, voice flat, once the two of them were up on the landing. He offered them a curt wave before stuffing his hand into his hoodie pocket.

“So nice to meet new people!” The girl said, beaming. Her lips pursed, and her expression dropped into a contemplative pout. “I haven’t seen any fair maidens, though.”

“’Fair maidens’?” Dewa asked, sounding skeptical.

“Yes!” She shouted, throwing her arms out. “You know! Fair maidens, darling princesses, adorable chicas!” Fuji and Dewa stared at her. She sighed, putting a hand on her hip. “I haven’t seen any cute girls. Just two rowdy dudes and this lonely spoil sport. We woke up in the same room.” She motioned at the boy, who gave off a flat shrug. The girl huffed. “See what I mean?” She asked. “Boring. Boring boy.”

“’S not much to do.” He replied, shrugging again.

“Uh...” Fuji began, “We could… introduce ourselves?”

“Finally!” She shouted, a bright grin growing on her face. “I was waiting for those words! Watch and behold! I’ll show you an act like you’ve never seen before!” Suddenly, the girl jumped back, taking a step forward before flipping backwards. Fuji’s eyes widened as she twirled in the air, doing cartwheels around the boy in the hoodie before jumping into the air once more. She landed doing the splits and threw her hands out. “Now then, let me hear your applause! I want to hear the excited shouts and screams for the amazing, the beautiful, the gorgeous… Diana "Snapback" Valentine! Ultimate Street Performer!”

**DIANA VALENTINE, ULTIMATE STREET PERFORMER**

Fuji stared in awe as the boy in the hoodie pulled his hands out of his pockets to clap. Dewa started clapping as well, and soon Fuji followed suit. Valentine stood up, taking a bow and grinning.

“Thank you, thank you!” She shouted. “Like a precious flower, I require attention to live! Thank you for extending my life for a few more weeks!” She bowed again, then looked up at Fuji and stuck her tongue out. When she did, Fuji saw that her tongue was pierced. Goodness.

“That was pretty cool.” Dewa said, grinning.

“Just ‘pretty cool’?” Valentine asked, crossing her arms and huffing. She suck her nose up in mock haughtiness. “That’s not very creative of you.”

“Valentine-” Fuji began.

“Ah ah ah.” She stopped him, holding up a finger. “I dunno if you could tell, but I’m from out of country. ‘Diana’ is fine.”

“...” Fuji blinked, glancing around. Addressing somebody he just met, and a girl like here nonetheless!, with their first name felt… weird. His eyes caught the gaze of the boy in the hoodie, who shrugged.

“I just did it. She asked, so I might as well.”

“Hey,” Dewa chimed in, causing the boy and Valentine to look at him. “Don’t think you introduced yourself.”

“You guys first.” The boy said. Dewa rolled his eyes, and Fuji got it over with.

“Uh, I’m Fuji Yota, Ultimate Antiquarian. And he’s Dewa Junpei, Ultimate Movie Critic.”

“That’s cool.” The boy said. Behind him, Fuji could see Valentine muttering to herself. He heard a quiet ‘which one is the right one, again?’, and decided to leave her to her devices. Fuji turned his attention back to the boy who sighed, as though saying his name would be some sort of gargantuan task. “Alright then… I’m Chujo Kagemoro. My talent is the ‘Ultimate Ghostwriter’.”

**KAGEMORO CHUJO, ULTIMATE GHOSTWRITER**

“Ghostwriter?” Dewa asked. “Who do you ghostwrite for?”

Chujo shrugged. “Anybody and everybody. If you read a book published within the last five or six years, there’s a good chance I at least drafted it.”

“...that prolific?” Fuji asked. Chujo responded with just a nod.

“Damn.” Dewa said. “That’s… pretty big.” He glanced over at Valentine. “What’s your deal, Valentine?”

“I told you that Diana is fine.” She huffed. “But if you must know… I was with a famous travel group!” She grinned. “Ever heard of the Midnight Maladies?!”

“...” Dewa frowned, rubbing at his chin. Fuji also racked his brain, but couldn’t come up with anything. Before he could admit that, however, Dewa gasped. “No way! I remember that name! I greenlit a documentary done on them! You’re the ones that traveled all over Europe and Asia, right?”

“That’s right! The Americas too!” Valentine grinned. “Midnight Maladies, on tour! We don’t need a tent if we can perform under the stars!” She rapidly wiggled her hands. “The ‘Beautiful Bishop’, I was known as! 'Snapback' too! My specialties include acrobatics, fire, and knife throwing!”

“F-Fire… and knife throwing?!” Fuji asked, eyes widening. Valentine didn’t even bat an eye.

“Eyup! Even got an act where I juggle knives that are on fire!” She leaned close, eyes wide and grin sharp. “I’m famous for a reason!”

“Damn.” Dewa said, evidently imagining it. He was clearly impressed, and Valentine could tell, crossing her arms with a smirk and a satisfied ‘heh’.

“Hey uh… Valentine?” Fuji said. The girl in question sighed, shaking her head. He awkwardly shrugged, motioning down at the floor. “So uh… I know you said you were looking for… other girls.” At the mere mention, Valentine’s eyes lit up, and she lurched forward, grabbing Fuji’s wrists.

“Are there cute girls here, Fuji?” Valentine asked, deathly serious.

“U-Uh...” He stuttered, surprised at the sudden contact. “There… me and Dewa saw three of them, deeper in… whatever building this is.” He did his best to motion with his head at the area underneath the stairs. Valentine stared him down, then nodded.

“Thanks.” She said simply, releasing him and turning around. “Chujo, we gotta go.”

“Go?” Chujo repeated.

“We gotta find these girls.” She said, voice still completely serious. Chujo shrugged.

“Don’t got anything better to be doing.” He said. Valentine pumped her fists. Chujo turned back to Fuji and Dewa. “I assume you guys are looking for the others?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we are.” Fuji nodded.

“Right. Well… there are two dudes that passed through here while Diana and I were waiting for some fair maidens.” Chujo said. Fuji frowned at how nonchalantly he used that phrase. Chujo either ignored or didn’t see the frown, instead twisting his torso to point up the rest of the stairs. “There are a bunch of locked rooms up there. There’s a big dude up there.” He then turned and pointed at the hallways branching off of the landing they were on. “And a bunch of classrooms are that way. Some crazy kid with orange hair ran through here earlier, though I dunno where he went.”

“Shit, thanks man.” Dewa grinned, slapping Chujo’s shoulder.

“No prob.” Chujo said, shrugging.

“Hey!” Valentine’s voice shouted from below. “Hurry up Chujo! I need your help!”

“Guess I gotta go.” Chujo said. He took a hand out of his pocket to offer Fuji and Dewa a curt wave before stuffing it back into his pocket and heading down the stairs. Fuji turned to look at him go, and noticed that the back of his hoodie had a blocky red pattern on it. Interesting.

Dewa waited until the sound of Valentine’s voice faded away before speaking. “The people here keep getting weirder and weirder.”

“No kidding...” Fuji sighed. “Guess we better find that big guy Chujo mentioned.”

“Yup.” Dewa nodded, and the two set out to the top of the stairs.

The walk wasn’t long, a majority of the staircase’s height being in the lower section of stairs. At the top of the staircase was, predictably, a hallway of similar décor to the hallways below the stairs. This hallway extended out, and then seemed to form a cross, splitting off into three separate hallways. Still, the continuation straight ahead seemed longer than the two off-shoots to the side.

Before they could do anything, there was a loud knocking coming from up ahead. Fuji and Dewa shared a look and started heading forward. They got to the intersection just as somebody tall turned the corner, bumping straight into Fuji.

“Woah, whoops!” The tall person’s arms darted out, grabbing Fuji’s shoulders and stabilizing him. “You good, dude?”

“...yeah, I’m...” Fuji found himself looking up at the boy in front of him, who had a smile on his face. “...fine. I’m fine.”

“That’s good.” The boy said. Like Valentine, he had lean, yet evident muscles. His skin was tanned, seemingly from exposure to the sun, and his hair was short and brown. His eyes were a soft gray. When he grinned, Fuji could see a chipped tooth, and then he noticed the boy’s nose, which had evidently been broken before. The boy wore a royal purple shirt that hugged his muscular torso, and black shorts with indigo trim. A small, long towel was draped over his shoulders, and a pair of sunglasses rested on his nose. Finally, Fuji noticed that he had fingerless gloves on, and that there was some kind of mustard yellow jacket tied around his waist.

“Didn’t wanna hurt you accidentally!” The boy laughed, lightly patting Fuji’s shoulder. “But hey, nice to see you two. Whoever you are.” He looked up thoughtfully. “I’m assuming you guys met Diana and Chujo, since they were, like, out there.”

“We sure did.” Dewa said, shaking his head. “They’re certainly a… fun pair.”

“I think so too! They’re super nice.” He said, Dewa’s sarcasm going completely over his head. “In fact, everybody I’ve met so far has been super nice, ‘cept for that orange haired kid...” He frowned. “Ah, but I’m gettin’ ahead of myself! Gotta introduce!” The boy stuck out his hands, one for Fuji and one for Dewa, and grinned brightly. “I’m Ikari Tsubaki! I love riding bicycles and stuff, and that’s where I got my talent! I’m the Ultimate Bicyclist!”

**TSUBAKI IKARI, ULTIMATE BICYCLIST**

Fuji found himself sporting a grin, Ikari’s evident excitement infectious. Ikari laughed. “Dang,” He said, “the silence makes it feel like I messed up.”

“Nah, you’re good, dude.” Dewa said, grabbing Ikari’s hand. Fuji grabbed his other one at the same time, and Ikari laughed again as the they shook hands.

“Awesome! It’s great to meet new people, and other Ultimates too!” Ikari pumped his fist. “Man, this is so exciting. Super freaky and weird, but also exciting.” His smile dropped for a moment as he pouted. “Still, this is super weird. Where even are we?”

“Yeah, that’s still a huge concern.” Dewa said, shaking his head.

“Yup...” Ikari’s frown lingered for a moment before he rebounded. “But hey, no need to assume the worst, right? In any case, let’s finish our introductions!” His smile grew. “Your guys’ turn!”

“Ah, right!” Dewa nodded. “Name’s Dewa Junpei. Ultimate Movie Critic.”

“Ooh, cool!” Ikari’s eyes sparkled. “I love movies!”

“Oh, uh,” Fuji began, prompting Ikari to look over at him. “I’m Fuji Yota. I’m the Ultiamte Antiquarian.”

“Antiquarian...” Ikari parroted, cocking his head. “What’s that?”

“I deal with uh… artifacts.” He replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Y’know, old statues and weapons and stuff...”

“Oooooooh!” Ikari nodded excitedly. “I get it! Wow, you must get around, huh?”

“Y-Yeah...” Fuji chuckled. “Part of the job.”

“Very cool, very cool.” Ikari kept nodding. Fuji was starting to worry about how much his head was bobbing. “Well, it sucks to say, but I didn’t find anything here.” He motioned at all of the rooms behind him. “All the doors are locked. I tried them all. I even tried knocking to see if anybody was inside!” He sighed. “Nothing.”

“Damn...” Dewa sighed as well. “That blows.”

“Yeah...” Fuji muttered, frowning. It seemed like there was a bunch of locked stuff in… wherever they were. What was with all of the restricted stuff?… Maybe they needed to do something first, something like… “Oh!” Fuji realized something.

“What’s up, Fuji?” Ikari asked.

“You said you know where the orange haired kid is?” Fuji asked.

“Oh, yeah. Him.” Ikari seemed displeased. “You guys sure you wanna talk with him? He’s uh… kinda weird.”

“Believe me, we know.” Dewa said, annoyance in his voice. “We just gotta introduce ourselves and then go, right?”

“Maybe...” Ikari mused. “Alright, follow me. He should still be in the classrooms, I think. Otherwise, he’s gotta be outside.”

“Outside?” Fuji tried to ask. However, Ikari was already walking away, Dewa at his heels. Fuji sighed, trotting to catch up with the others.

The walk wasn’t long, the area didn’t seem to be very big, but it still made Fuji think. His mind kept looping back to those questions: why were they here? Where were they? And who did this? He had no answers, and seemingly no way to get them. Aside from, of course, obeying the words of that announcement from earlier. Which was some other concern completely.

“Okay,” Ikari said suddenly, putting a hand on Fuji’s chest to stop him from walking more. They were in a hallway with seven doors, three on each side and one at the end, and Ikari had stopped them outside the middle left room. His voice was low. “I think he’s in here.”

“Why are we whispering?” Dewa whispered.

“Cuz uh… see for yourself...” Ikari replied, slowly twisting the door knob and opening the door.

The room was, as Ikari had mentioned, a classroom. There was a four by four arrangement of desks in the middle of the room, coming up to a total of sixteen desks. There was a chalkboard mounted on the wall at the front of the room, as well as a small wooden teacher’s desk. On the wall was a circular window, letting in sunlight.

Aside from that, the room was bare. The orange haired boy from earlier was reclined in one of the center desks, feet propped up on the desk, leaning back in the chair. He appeared to be asleep, chest rising and falling lightly. Ikari pointed at him.

“Hey,” A familiar voice said. The orange haired boy yawned, stretching his arms and righting himself in his chair. “Didn’t your mom ever tell you it’s rude to point?” He smirked, planting an elbow on the desk and putting his head in his hand. “Nice to see you two again.”

“Oh, do you guys know each other?” Ikari asked.

“No.” Dewa shook his head. “We just woke up in the same area, and he wouldn’t shut up about us starving to death.”

“Rude!” The orange haired boy remarked, laughing.

“Um...” Fuji took a few steps forward, “I don’t think we ever caught your name. I’m Fuji Yota. Ultimate Antiquarian.”

“And I already told you my name.” Dewa sighed, shaking his head.

“...” The orange haired boy looked him up and down, lips pursed. The silent inspection went for a few seconds longer than Fuji was comfortable with. Then, the boy’s lips turned up in a big smile. “Cool! I guess I should introduce myself, since we’re stuck here forever...” He sighed, prompting Fuji to frown. Forever?

“What the hell are you talking about?” Dewa asked.

“Ah ah!” The boy held up a finger. “Shush! Don’t you want my name?” Dewa grumbled, causing the boy to laugh again. “Alright, here’s the name! If you don’t remember, no problem, I’ll be sure to tell you again later. In fact… we should have lunch together, right Fuji? I think that’d be fun!”

“Uh… sure. Yeah, sure.” Fuji found himself saying. Wait, what? His face screwed up in confusion, and the orange haired boy laughed.

“I see you’re confused! Don’t worry, I’m just really persuasive!” He laughed again. “But I’ve stalled long enough. My name’s Kimura Hyousuke, and I have been dubbed… the Ultimate Charismatic! Dun dun dun!”

**HYOUSUKE KIMURA, ULTIMATE CHARISMATIC**

“...charismatic?” Ikari asked, evidently confused. “Like uh… you’re good at telling people what to do?”

“No, no, no.” Kimura shook his head. “No. Any old peon could tell people what to do. You could tell me to jump off a bridge. Anybody could say that.”

Ikari gasped. “I would never tell somebody to do that!”

“But you could!” Kimura said, grinning. “But here’s the difference: anybody can tell people what to do. But I can _get_ people to do things.” He folded his hands behind his head. “I guess I just have a lovable aura.”

“Bullshit that’s your talent.” Dewa said, scowling. “What kind of crap is that?”

“I dunno what you mean.” Kimura replied, shrugging. “Oh uh, Ikari. The door’s kinda closed. Could you open it up for me, please?”

“Sure thing!” Ikari nodded, turning around to open the door the rest of the way. Dewa watched, unamused.

“That proves pretty much nothing.”

“Maybe.” Kimura agreed. “But I think you’ve got more important things to worry about than my talent.”

“...are you talking about that ‘stuck forever’ thing?” Fuji asked, musing.

“Yup! How astute!” Kimura said, grinning. “You’re already smarter than the logheads over there.”

“Shut up!” Dewa snapped.

“...am I a loghead?” Ikari asked, likely to himself.

“What did you mean by that, Kimura?” Fuji asked, intending to get them back on track.

“Simple: I think we’re stuck here. Maybe forever.” Kimura said.

“R-Really?” Ikari gasped.

“Yup!” Kimura grinned. “Have you even looked out of any of the windows? There’s one right there, if you wanna take a glance.” He yawned, getting to his feet and stretching. “But me? I’m gonna head out. Now that I got my beauty sleep, I believe there’s a couple more people I gotta meet!” And with that, he took off, sprinting out of the room.

“H-Hey, wait!” Ikari called after him, tearing off after Kimura.

“Well, he’s still as annoying as earlier.” Dewa sighed. Fuji frowned, moving towards the window. Dewa noticed and cocked his head. “Hey, what’re you doin’? You don’t actually believe Kimura, do you?”

Fuji ignored Dewa as he approached the window, putting his hand on the sill and staring through. And what he saw… Fuji jolted in surprise at the sight. This… this couldn’t be right, could it? To think… that he didn’t notice something like this…

“Hey, you good, Fuji?” Dewa asked, walking over to Fuji at the window. “What’d you...” He trailed off as he approached, staring out through the glass. “see...” The two spent a few moments staring in silence before Dewa thickly swallowed and asked.

“So… we’re in the middle of the ocean?”


	2. Prologue - All Aboard! Destination: Our International Academy!, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this was gonna be a while, but I got tired of the other half of the prologue sitting finished and unposted in the folder, lmao.
> 
> Also, a second reminder! BIG NDRV3 SPOILERS in this chapter in the form of a Spoiler Character. I wouldn't recommend reading further if you haven't finished NDRv3!

“Damn, it’s bright.” Dewa said.

After the revelation they found in the classroom, Dewa had told Fuji that their best bet was to just keep finding people. He reasoned that it wasn’t like they had anything else to do, and after a bit of thinking, Fuji agreed. All they had to go on was that strange broadcast over the intercom. So the two had returned to the Lobby, now empty, and made their way to the glowing door. And when they pushed it open…

The two of them were standing on some polished wooden deck, with a stretch of blue painted wood marking a path and leading further down the deck. Palm trees were regularly interspersed along both sides of the path, with benches in between them. To the sides, Fuji could see a tall looking railing, and beyond that… nothing but cloudless blue sky and the gently sloshing ocean.

“We really… are on a boat.” Fuji said, more to himself than to Dewa.

“Yeah...” Dewa glanced to the side. “Hey, Fuji, check this.”

Fuji glanced over, looking at what Dewa was standing near. It was a small sign, with four lines of words on it, one on top of the other. They were all in caps, like the plaques in the building they had just left. The first read ‘PROMENADE’. The second word said ‘POOL’ and had an arrow pointing forward. The third was an arrow pointing to the right that read ‘ULTIMATE PUBLIC SPEAKER LAB’, while the fourth said ‘ULTIMATE ADVENTURER LAB’ accompanied by an arrow pointing left.

“Oh nice, there’s a pool.” Dewa said.

“Labs?” Fuji said, saying the things that stood out to him. “What does that mean?”

“Dunno.” Dewa said, putting a hand over his eyes to block out the sun. “Maybe its those two buildings?” He pointed, and Fuji turned around, finding the truth in what Dewa said. There were two buildings along the Promenade, complete with their own branches off the blue path. They didn’t have any defining features from what Fuji could see, which only made things more confusing.

Fuji frowned and turned around to the set of double doors they’d just came out of. The building they had just come from was tall, towering over them, made of a sleek, polished metal. Over the doors was a plaque, just like the ones inside, that read ‘HOTEL’. Again… he couldn’t stop that thought. What was this place?

“Hey, Fuji.” Dewa grabbed his shoulder. “I think I see some people up ahead. Maybe that’s the pool? Looks like there are some chairs and shit.” At the prompt, Fuji turned around. There were, indeed, a bunch of chairs, as well as what looked like two figures sitting on them.

“We should go check it out.” Fuji said. Dewa nodded in agreement, and the two began their stroll down the Promenade. Despite the strangeness of their situation, Fuji couldn’t help but enjoy the nice weather. It was sunny and warm, with just the slightest of cool breezes. It gave off a certain sense of… relaxation that it was hard to get elsewhere.

The Promenade wasn’t long, and quickly led them to the Pool, as advertised. Now up close, the Pool was… more or less what it said. It was placed at the bow of the ship, and seemed to have a ‘shallow’ end and a ‘deep end’. A bunch of tables and pool chairs were set up around it, and some of the tables had attached umbrellas. There was also something that appeared to be a shed nearby, with some sort of sign on it.

Now that they were at the Pool, Fuji could see the two figures much more clearly, and… well, they were certainly something. They were both girls, and were relaxing on pool chairs, sitting next to each other. The smaller girl turned as they approached, and offered them a calm smile and a wave.

The smaller girl was… well, most definitely the smallest person Fuji had seen today. Her size and relaxed postured both contrasted and complimented her lithe build. Her skin was light, yet tanned from exposure to the sun, and her blue eyes were inquisitive. Or, eye, rather. One of her eyes was covered up by a sweep of aqua hair. Her clothes started out normal, with a simple sea green tank top and dark skirt, but then Fuji noticed her accessories. She had some sort of… chest guard strapped over her chest, as well as a three fingered glove on her left hand and a bracer on her right arm. There was also a clip in her hair, decorated with what appeared to be a tiny, metal arrow.

“Uh, yo.” Dewa greeted.

Instead of giving a verbal response, the girl simply waved again, giving the two a patient smile, and reached over, lightly putting her hand on the other girl’s shoulder.

Well… perhaps girl was too delicate of a word for this person. She was much, much larger, not even fitting completely on the pool chair due to her height. She had a short shock of messy brown hair. Her skin was a deep olive, and… well, she was probably the most muscular person Fuji had ever seen. Fuji could see a multitude of scars on her visible skin. Her clothes were strange as well, consisting of an emerald green karate gi, and an accompanying black belt. Her gakuran was currently off, draped over the back of the chair, which allowed Fuji a detailed look at her muscles and scars, as well as the fact that her gi had the sleeves torn off. Her gakuran also appeared to have a strangely tall and stiff collar. A hat was placed over her face, and it appeared to have the back torn out.

Upon the hand being placed on her shoulder, the muscular girl let out a snort, slowly reaching up to pluck the hat off of her face. As she sat up, Fuji gulped, finding that, even sitting, she was at eye level with him. Her stare made him shudder, her dark blue eyes drilling intensely into him.

“Gimme a break. More idiots.” She said.

The smaller girl flapped her hand at her, prompting the muscular girl to snort.

Fuji and Dewa glanced at each other, and Dewa took a cautionary breath before shuffling forward. “Hey,” He began, rubbing the back of his head. “So… we just gotta introduce ourselves, right?”

“Yeah, suppose so.” The muscular girl said, glancing at the smaller girl, who nodded.

“Right, uh. Well I’m Dewa Junpei. Ultimate Movie Critic.” Dewa said. Silence settled over them for a few moments as Fuji continued to stare. Her muscles were _huge_. An elbow dug into his ribs, and Fuji yelped, glancing at Dewa, who motioned with his head. Oh, right.

“Oh! Oh, um… sorry!” Fuji said, managing a weak laugh. “Sorry, sorry. I’m Fuji Yota. Ultimate Antiquarian.”

“’kay.” The muscular girl said. And then she stood up. Fuji blinked as she rose to her full height. She was even taller than Ikari, and the way she towered over them inspired a unique fear in him. It felt like she could flick him in the forehead and his skull would explode. She spoke up again, and her voice commanded his attention. “I’ll get this over with then. Name’s Jitsuko Jutaro. I was born in Shibuya, and people know me by the title ‘Solar Fist’. My title is the Ultimate Kickboxer.”

**JUTARO JITSUKO, ULTIMATE KICKBOXER**

“W-Wait...” Dewa said, surprise replacing the fear in his voice. When Fuji glanced over, Dewa’s eyes were shining as he stared up at Jitsuko. When he continued speaking, his tone was awestruck. “How… did I not notice? You’re _the_ Solar Fist!”

“Oh, hell.” Jitsuko tipped the bill of her hat down over her eyes and groaned. “Yeah, it’s me.”

“’S-Solar Fist’?” Fuji asked.

“C’mon, Fuji!” Dewa said, turning to him excitedly. Any trace of fear that Dewa had at Jitsuko’s appearance had completely melted away. “Solar Fist is only _the_ most prolific Japanese kickboxer, probably ever! It’s said she’s never lost a fight! Her punches move so fast, her fists light on fire! If you blink, the fight is over! Some say she can stop time when she’s brawling! _That’s_ Solar Fist!”

“Jeez.” Jitsuko said.

“I… I don’t really uh… follow the kickboxing scene.” Fuji said guiltily.

“God, I’m such a dumbass!” Dewa said. Fuji heard Jitsuko mutter ‘you’ve got that right’ under her breath, but thought better than to confront her about it. “How could I not recognize you earlier?!”

“Got a new uniform.” Jitsuko stated.

“Definitely!” Dewa borderline shouted. “God, it looks so good though! Oh man, I can’t believe Solar Fist is on this boat with us!”

“Gimme a break...” Jitsuko muttered.

“Um...” Fuji let Dewa do his thing, hoping that he didn’t piss Jitsuko off in the process. He instead turned to the smaller girl, who shot him a sunny grin. “Hey. Don’t think I ever caught your name.”

“...” She stared at him for a second, then nodded, as if agreeing with him. Fuji blinked, glancing away. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, and her shoulders shook as though she were laughing, though there was no sound.

That made Fuji blink. He stared at her, and she returned it. The two locked eyes, and her head tilted curiously before Fuji realized how dumb he was being.

“C-Can you not...” He began, then realized better. “L-Lemme uh… rephrase that.” He chuckled. “Do you know… do you know sign language? I’m… proficient, if it helps.”

At that, her eyes lit up, and she quickly began signing. _‘Oh, this makes things much easier._ ’ She said. _‘_ _Pleasure to meet you, Fuji.’_

‘ _And to you, as well._ ’ Fuji replied. ‘ _What’s your name?’_

‘ _My name is Esumi Setsuna,’_ The girl signed, ‘ _and I am the Ultimate Archer_ ’

**SETSUNA ESUMI, ULTIMATE ARCHER**

‘ _Ultimate Archer.’_ Fuji repeated. Esumi nodded.

‘ _Indeed. I enjoy my talent._ ’ She told him, ‘ _I enjoy peace and quiet, and archery is a very relaxing activity. Plus, I get to tell the crowd to be quiet, and I don’t get in trouble._ ’ Esumi playfully stuck out her tongue, and Fuji laughed.

“Alright, enough!” Jitsuko suddenly yelled. Esumi and Fuji snapped their heads towards her, and found Dewa, with his hands pulled to his chest. “I get you’re a fan! Knock it the hell off!”

“S-Sorry...” Dewa whimpered.

“Fuck’s sake. Can’t even get kidnapped without gettin’ harassed by fans...” Jitsuko grumbled, sitting back down onto her chair. She glanced at Esumi, quickly signing ‘ _Don’t let people bother me._ ’ before she laid back down.

‘ _Poor Jitsuko_.’ Esumi signed.

“...F-Fuji, dude...” Dewa managed, shuffling over to Fuji.

“Dewa...” Fuji replied, putting his hands into his lap. “You really shouldn’t-”

“Dude, Solar Fist yelled at me!” Dewa interrupted excitedly, voice low. “That’s so awesome!”

“...” Fuji blinked. Well… it was nice to see Dewa excited? A glance at Esumi revealed a bemused expression, and Fuji sighed. “Dewa, we should find the others and leave Jitsuko alone.”

“Damn, I wanted to ask for her autograph.” Dewa sighed. “But yeah, you’re right. Another time, then.”

Esumi reached forward, tapping Fuji on the side. He glanced over at her, and she smiled. She then lifted her arm and pointed at the shed that he looked at earlier. It seemed to be made out of wood, and now that he was a little closer, Fuji could see that the sign read ‘Pool Rules’, with a couple bullet points underneath. Esumi waved to get Fuji’s attention, then pointed at the shed again and cupped a hand around her ear.

“Listen to the shed?” Dewa asked, and Esumi nodded. He shot Fuji a look before shrugging. “Alright. Might as well.”

Fuji watched Dewa walk over, and stand outside of the shed door for a few seconds. Then, Fuji watched Dewa cock his head and lean a little closer. The moment he did so, the door to the shed swung outwards, nearly catching Dewa’s chin. He stumbled back in surprise, nearly falling backwards, and an arm shot out of the shed, grabbing Dewa’s wrist and righting him.

“Aaaaand one!” A voice shouted, another arm emerging from the shed to wrap around the startled Dewa’s waist. It moved the hand it had by the wrist out, putting the two into in some sort of demented waltz stance. “Step in time!” It proclaimed as it slid out of the shed, getting close to Dewa. “And two!”

The source of the voice was another young woman. Despite not comparing to Jitsuko in the slightest, she was still muscular and well built. Her skin was sun kissed, with some evident tan lines on her shoulders. Her chocolate brown hair came down to her shoulders in a slightly curly and very frizzy mass. There were a few scars dotting her exposed skin, and her grin looked downright vicious, especially with the way her green eyes were laser focused on Dewa’s face. Her outfit seemed to mainly consist of a maroon one piece swimsuit, accompanied by a pair of cargo shorts, a straw sunhat, and a pair of goggles draped over her neck.

“And… three!” She proclaimed, putting Dewa into a dip. He stared at her, mouth opening and closing in surprise. Her grin glinted in the afternoons sunglight as she stared down at him. “So… thought you could sneak up on me, huh? Silly boy, _nobody_ sneaks up on me!”

“Y-You’re crazy!” Dewa snapped, eyes fixed on her face. “I didn’t even know you were in there!”

“Ooh, feigning ignorance? I love it when they play hard to get.” She replied, eyes growing half lidded even as her grin grew.

“Enough! Enough!” Dewa said, putting a hand on her sternum. The moment he made contact, her arms flew to the side, and she unceremoniously dumped Dewa on to the deck, returning to an upright posture. Dewa yelped as he hit the wood, groaning and rubbing at one of his elbows.

“Oh, you’re much more fun than the girls.” The young woman stated, grinning down at Dewa. Her eyes then quickly snapped upwards, and Fuji found himself at the mercy of her scrutinizing gaze. He gulped as she marched up to him, her gaze amused in a… very scary way. At least with Jitsuko, she might just be unintentionally scary. Fuji had a feeling this girl was doing it on purpose. “Hey there, small fry.” She said.

“U-Uh...” Fuji managed.

“No need to be shy.” She told him, reaching forward and grabbing his wrist. Fuji swallowed again as she lifted his arm and inspected his hand. “Hmm… you’re a bit more athletic than you look.” She stated.

“Um… th-thanks?” Fuji replied.

“No prob.” She said, that scary grin never leaving her face. “Hey, are you one of those… ‘herbivore’ guys?” She asked, cocking a brow at him.

“Wh...” Fuji tried to take a step back, but she simply took one following after him.

“You just seem like the type.” She continued, moving her hand up his arm. “I love herbivore guys, y’know. Good enough to eat...” She trailed off, looking at Fuji. Her stare made him tremble, and it was clear that she could tell by the way the edge of her lips twitched.

“Fuck’s sake.” Jitsuko suddenly spoke up. “Do you have anything useful to say, or are you just going to be a creep?” She hadn’t moved from her spot on the chair, and her hat was still placed over her face. Esumi also continued to sit nearby, her smile a bit more strained.

The second Jitsuko’s words left her mouth, the new girl was gone from Fuji’s side, letting his arm fall back down to his side. Instead, she was now sitting half on Jitsuko’s chair, leaning over her, that grin still on her face.

“Boo! Boring, Suko! You’re so boring.” She said.

“Don’t call me stupid shit.” Jitsuko said simply.

“But aren’t we friends?” The girl cooed. “Sumi likes me...”

Esumi pressed her lips together.

“Just introduce yourself before I get pissed off.” Jitsuko snapped.

“Oh! Of course, how could I forget?!” The girl bounced to her feet, returning to Fuji’s front and bouncing on the balls of her feet. “So great to meet you, fellow Ultimate! My name is Sasabe Reika! Ultimate Spearfisher!”

**REIKA SASABE, ULTIMATE SPEARFISHER**

She held out a hand expectantly, and Fuji hesitantly reached out to take it. Sasabe gently took it and brought it upwards, pressing her lips to his knuckles. Fuji’s back went rigid as she glanced up to him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“S-So… Spearfisher?” Fuji asked.

“Yup! I’ve got lots of energy, so it only makes sense that I’d go into something like this.” Sasabe replied, mercifully releasing Fuji’s hand. Fuji wasn’t completely sure about the logic behind what she’d just said, but he kind of didn’t want to speak up against her. “Very few things I haven’t personally gotten on the end of one of my spears.” She continued, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest. “If you name a type of fish, I’ve _probably_ stabbed one at some point.”

“Jeez.” Dewa said, finally returning to Fuji’s side, “The hell’s the matter with you?”

“Aw, I’m just trying to have some fun!” Sasabe told him. “I don’t wanna jump off the ship and swim in the ocean just yet. After all,” She grinned. “I don’t know if any of you will throw me a rope if I need it.”

“…why wouldn’t we?” Dewa asked, looking at her in suspicion.

“Dunno.” Sasabe shrugged. Then, her eyes flicked back to Fuji. “But hey, don’t leave me hanging! It’s your turn now.” She looked back at Dewa. “Both of you.”

“Huh?” Fuji asked. When her piercing gaze returned to him, he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. “O-Oh! Right! Um… I’m Fuji Yota! Ultimate Antiquarian.”

“And you?” Sasabe asked, glancing at Dewa again.

“Dewa Junpei. I’m the Ultimate Movie Critic.” Dewa replied.

“...nice!” Sasabe nodded, her smile unceasing. “I like you guys! I like you the best, though, Waju.” She said, facing Dewa.

“...Waju?” He asked, a grimace forming on his face.

“It’s your name, but shorter.” Sasabe informed him, then tilted her head and adopted a mockery of a cute expression. “Isn’t it cute?”

“I know what it _is_ , I just… eugh.” Dewa groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Never mind.”

“Well...” Sasabe trailed off, putting a finger to her chin in thought. Then she shrugged. “I guess it really doesn’t matter, does it, Fuyo?”

“Is… that me?” Fuji asked, knowing damn well that it was.

“Of course!” Sasabe laughed, a pleasant sound that Fuji thought didn’t really fit her scary aura. “I think I’ve had my fun though. I’ll let you two get back to… whatever it was you were doing.” Her smile softened into something more normal. “I’m gonna go back to the shed. See if I can’t find something fun.” And with that, just as quickly as she had appeared, Sasabe disappeared, the door to the shed swinging shut behind her.

“...” Dewa looked at Fuji, then glanced over at Esumi. Esumi shrugged. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “...Let’s just go, Fuji.”

“It’s… probably for the best.” Fuji replied, looking over at Esumi and Jitsuko. Esumi shot him a small wave when he did. “We’ll see you two… er, three later, Esumi.” In response, Esumi simply nodded, waving again as the two walked away.

The two made their way away from the Pool, though to be honest, Fuji wasn’t quite sure where else to go. He was positive they’d explored the entirety of the Hotel, and there didn’t seem to be much else out here on the deck. The two stopped at the junction with the two buildings, Dewa putting his hands on his hips and sighing.

“Y’know.” Dewa said. “The more of them I meet… the more normal the two of us seem.”

“I hate to agree, cuz it seems a bit mean...” Fuji replied, scratching at his cheek, “But… yeah, a lot of them are really uh… eccentric.”

“Some people clearly don’t need interpersonal skills for their talents.” A voice said. “Though it’s rather rude to talk about people behind their backs.” Fuji and Dewa stiffened in surprise, and the two turned towards the building on the left. There were two boys standing there, one looking a bit guilty and the other leaning against the building. The second one was the one who had clearly spoken, and he looked upon Fuji and Dewa flatly.

He was tall and lanky, all angles and joints. However, unlike Hiramoto from earlier, he seemed less awkward and more… sickly. His skin was an unhealthy pale, and his cheeks and eyes seemed slightly sunken in, all adding up to make him look half like a zombie. His black hair was done up in a greasy mohawk, with the sides of his head shaved. Despite that, however… he had an imposing aura to him, and his icy blue eyes were sharp and attentive. He had on a brown leather vest that, upon a second glance, was actually a jacket with the sleeves torn off. Underneath was a black undershirt, which meant his arms were exposed, and black dress pants riddled with small tears. He also had a necklace dangling from his neck, the centerpiece of which was a red crystal twisted into an unfamiliar shape.

The second boy seemed to be better off, appearance wise. He had an average build and good posture, with pale skin and floppy, curly hair the color of green tea. His eyes were green and inquisitive, which looked Fuji over despite his evident embarrassment at the situation. Fuji noted that he was rather attractive, and had a bit of a ‘playboy’ vibe to him. He had on a blue and black striped sweater with elbow length sleeves, some kind of white shirt underneath, accompanied by baggy, light brown pants. It was also hard to miss the multitudes of jewelry he had on, from rings adorning his fingers to piercings in his ears, though it appeared that, unlike Valentine, his nose was untouched.

“Um… s-sorry.” Fuji replied, unsure of how else to respond.

“Hey, let’s go easy on them.” The pierced boy said, a chuckle in his voice. His tone was low and nonthreatening, which seemed strange next to his companion. “They’re probably just confused.”

“I’m well aware, and I wasn’t speaking ill of them.” The unhealthy boy said dismissively. “I’m just pointing it out.”

Dewa sighed. “Look, guys. No offense to anybody else, but, like… you guys seem like the most sane people we’ve met today.” At that, the pierced boy actually chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. The unhealthy boy merely nodded.

“Yes,” he said, “we’ve met a few of them, and that’s why we’re standing over here, alone.” He sighed. “Even I need a breather sometimes.”

“Tell me about it.” Dewa replied. “I like to think I’m a people person, but I could use a twelve hour nap right about now.”

“Hey, uh, if you guys don’t mind.” Fuji began. There was a brief pause, and the unhealthy boy indicated for him to continue. Fuji just nodded and did so. “I was just wondering… if you guys were checking out these buildings, and if they’re your talents or not.”

“Guilty as charged.” The unhealthy boy replied, shrugging. “I’m impressed you figured that out.”

“...how _did_ you figure that out?” Dewa asked.

“I mean… wasn’t too hard. Eheh.” Fuji gave a weak shrug. “The intercom said there were sixteen of us here. Including you and me, we’ve met thirteen. And we’ve heard everybody’s talents so… I figured that either these buildings belonged to one of these two who we don’t know the talents of, or… the owners weren’t here.”

“Huh. Nice one.” Dewa grinned at Fuji.

“Thanks.” Fuji smiled back.

“Well… it was _almost_ right.” The pierced boy said. Fuji and Dewa looked back at him, and he continued. “See… we can’t actually get into these buildings, despite the fact that our talents are on them.”

“It appears that the doors are locked.” The unhealthy boy added. “And though there appear to be scanners near the doors, we have nothing to scan them with, aside from our hands.”

“And we tried that.” The pierced boy finished. “It… didn’t work.”

“...well that’s stupid.” Dewa said. “Who the hell makes buildings that people can’t enter? Just like inside.” He shook his head. “This just gets dumber and dumber.”

“...hey, uh.” Fuji glanced towards the two boys. “Can I ask your names? We’re supposed to be… meeting everybody, and stuff.”

“Of course.” The unhealthy boy said, then turned to his companion. “Do you want to go first, or should I?”

“It’s all you.” The pierced boy replied with a smile.

“Very well.” The unhealthy boy turned to Fuji and Dewa, then straightened his back. When he spoke this time, there was something… alluring in his voice that made Fuji pay attention. “Salutations. My name is Honda Tsumoto, and I am the Ultimate Public Speaker.”

**TSUMOTO HONDA, ULTIMATE PUBLIC SPEAKER**

“And as for me,” The other boy spoke up. “My name’s Amami Rantaro. Ultimate Adventurer.”

**RANTARO AMAMI, ULTIMATE ADVENTURER**

“And, now, I believe you should extend the same introduction to us.” Honda said.

“Right...” Fuji nodded. “I’m Fuji Yota. My title is the Ultimate Antiquarian.”

“And I’m Dewa Junpei. Ultimate Movie Critic.” Dewa said. He furrowed his brow, then laughed. “Never thought I’d wear my own name out.”

“Indeed.” Honda nodded. “I’ve unfortunately become accustomed to people knowing my name, so this is a bit of a new exercise for me.”

“You get used to it.” Amami chuckled.

“Maybe so.” Honda sighed. He then looked back at Fuji and Dewa. “So, I take it you’ve met most of the others?”

“Yeah.” Fuji nodded. “We woke up back in… in the uh, Hotel, I think it is. In a dining hall.”

“Indeed?” Honda glanced upwards, thinking. “Hmm. Though curious, it’s not much different from the cases of the few others I’ve spoken to.”

“You met some of the others too, right?” Dewa asked. “That’s why you agreed with me, right? That everybody here’s short a couple cards, at least.”

“And I distinctly remember saying it’s rude to talk behind other people’s backs.” Honda sighed, shaking his head. “But to answer your question, yes, we have. The three of us woke up inside the Hotel as well, in a laundry room, though this outer area was our first stop.”

“Hmm… the Laundry Room...” Dewa mused. Then, he glanced back up, confused. “Wait, three?”

“Yes, it was me, Amami, and… huh.” Honda glanced to the side. “I thought Kuno was here with us.”

“...she was.” Amami said. He looked around as well, then chuckled. “Guess she slipped away. She was pretty quiet, so it probably wasn’t hard.”

“Do you have any idea where she went?” Fuji asked. “We’re looking for everybody.”

“Hmm...” Amami mused. “She might be… behind the Hotel? She disappeared after we came outside.”

“There’s a behind?” Dewa asked. Honda sighed.

“Yes,” he said, “you can go around the Hotel. She pointed it out herself, when we first came outside.”

“Huh.” Dewa pursed his lips. “Didn’t realize you could go back there… I guess I didn’t really think about-”

“Woaaaaaah! So bright!” A familiar voice cried out, interrupting him. Dewa groaned.

The four turned toward the Hotel, finding the doors thrown open. Kimura stood there, arms thrown out and stance wide. Behind him were, surprisingly, Valentine and Chujo. Kimura immediately took off down the Promenade, barreling towards them, while Valentine sprinted behind him.

“Slow down, jerk!” She yelled, “You’re just gonna make another mess!”

The two tore off past their group without so much as a hello, though Chujo strolled up to them a moment later.

“Hey,” he said.

“Yo.” Dewa greeted. “Why the hell are you hanging out with Kimura?”

“Dunno.” Chujo said simply, shrugging. Honda shot Chujo a look, but didn’t say anything.

“O… kay.” Dewa grunted, running a hand through his hair. “Honda, Amami, no offense guys, but… I think I want to go.” He motioned over his shoulder at Kimura and Valentine, who were now interacting with Jitsuko and Esumi. Uh oh. “I don’t wanna deal with the fallout of that. What say you, Fuji?”

“...” Fuji glanced at Amami and Honda. As much as he disliked having to leave them to deal with Kimura… he also didn’t want to deal with Kimura. So he sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I, uh… I… We need to find… uh, Kuno.”

“Can I come?” Chujo asked.

“Yeah, whatever.” Dewa replied.

“Cool.”

“Right.” Honda nodded, extending his judgmental look to Dewa and Fuji. He didn’t look pleased with the proceedings. “I’m sure we’ll rendezvous later, so we shall see you soon. Hopefully.”

“Yeah, catch you guys later.” Fuji said. Amami offered him a wave and a smile, and the two made their was towards the Pool, where Fuji could already hear some shouting.

“Jeez.” Chujo said.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Dewa scoffed. “C’mon, lets find Kuno.”

The three headed back in the direction of the Hotel. Sure enough, just as Honda had said, there was some space between the Hotel and the edge of the ship, enough for maybe two people to walk shoulder to shoulder. They chose to walk in single file instead, and Fuji took the opportunity to peer off the side of the ship. There was a chest high railing preventing him from falling overboard, but there was no doubt that they were in the middle of the ocean. Nothing but blue for miles.

It didn’t take terribly long to get behind the Hotel, and there was a sight waiting for them when they did. As Chujo, the last in line, emerged from the alleyway, the three looked over to find… yet another building. This one, however, gave off a distinctly different vibe than the rest of the ship. Maybe it was because the position of the sun and the Hotel cast it in shadow. Or maybe it was because of its secluded location. Or maybe just because it looked creepy as hell.

The building was smaller than the Hotel by a decent margin. It was small and grey, made out of riveted metal. There was a cascade of cables coming from the building’s roof, and a bunch of satellite dishes and antennae were attached to a massive radio tower that adorned the top of the building. The tower was filled with flashing red lights, and was as draped in wires and cabling as the rest of the building. The radio tower seemed to be just shorter than the Hotel, hiding it from view from the bow of the ship. From their position, Fuji could see a metal sliding door, similar to an elevator door, on the building’s side. There was a scanner next to it, and something that looked like… wait, was that a gatling gun?!

“The fuck?” Dewa asked.

“...” Chujo said nothing, staring blankly at the building.

“...wh-what’s with the gun?” Fuji muttered. Without realizing it, he took a step forward, then another, and another, until he was striding up to this strange building.

“Hey… hey! Fuji, wait up, man!” Dewa, shaken from his surprise, jogged after Fuji, with Chujo following.

They came to a stop outside of the door, the gatling gun much more menacing close up. Now that they were here, Fuji could see a plaque above the door, labeled ‘NAVIGATION BUILDING’. The building loomed over them, the radio tower’s lights blinking, almost daring them to do something. It was then that Fuji heard a pair of footsteps, and a figure rounded the corner of the Navigation Building.

She didn’t seem to be particularly out of the ordinary, appearance wise. She did, however, have some strong posture. Her fair skin was dotted with freckles, and her cherry red hair was tied off into a ponytail on the side of her head, which came down to about her collarbone. When she glanced up at them, her dark brown eyes zeroed in on Fuji. Her clothes were… an interesting choice for the weather. Her most distinctive article was a dark brown sheepskin bomber jacket with an attached hood. The inner fluff was a light tan. She also wore olive green cargo pants, steel toed boots, and a solid black shirt. A pair of sunglasses were hooked into her shirt collar.

She marched over to the three, then placed a hand onto Fuji’s chest and pushed. He grunted in surprise stumbled back, bumping into Chujo in the process, who did his best to stabilize Fuji. Dewa let out a shout and moved towards her.

“What the hell are you doing?!” He snapped.

“I could ask you the same thing.” She replied, voice cold. “What if the gun had proximity sensors?”

“...huh?” Dewa asked, startled.

“We don’t know how this thing goes off.” She continued, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder at the gatling gun. “For all you know, your friend could have become swiss cheese, and then we’re down a person because he couldn’t be smart about his curiosity.”

“Cold.” Chujo said.

“Reasonable.” She replied.

“Hey, uh… thanks.” Fuji said now that he was reoriented. “You’re right, I was being dumb.” That caught the girl’s attention, and her brow raised slightly before she nodded.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, hey.” Dewa chimed in. “You’re uh… Kuno, right? Honda and Amami said you might be back here.”

“Figures.” The girl said. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Nice to meet you.” Fuji said, smiling and holding out a hand. She inspected his offering of friendship for a moment before grunting and taking it. Her handshake was firm and curt, a single shake before his hand was released and hers returned to her side.

“So, uh...” Dewa rubbed his neck. “Like… you wanna continue the introduction, or...”

“There never was an introduction.” She stated simply. “You guys are the ones who came back here knowing my name. Maybe you should go first.”

“...” Dewa was quiet, and Fuji could see him clenching his jaw. Still, after a second, he sighed. “Alright, fine. I’m Dewa Junpei, Ultimate Movie Critic.”

“And I’m Fuji Yota. I’m the Ultimate Antiquarian.” Fuji said. He, Dewa, and the girl then glanced at Chujo, who was staring blankly at the ocean. Fuji elbowed him.

“Huh?” He looked over, then glanced at the girl. Dewa shot him a frown, and Chujo blinked before it clicked. “Oh. Man, what a pain.” He sighed. “Valentine was introducing me earlier. Whatever.” He shook his head. “I’m Chujo Kagemoro. Ultimate Ghostwriter.”

“Okay.” She said. “I know you’re not going to like this, but here it is.” She stuffed her hands into her pockets. “I’m Kuno Mari. And I don’t know my Ultimate talent.”

**MARI KUNO, ULTIMATE ???**

“You… don’t know?” Fuji asked.

“How the hell do you not know?” Dewa followed up with. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I told you you wouldn’t like it.” Kuno said. “But to answer your question, Dewa, I have a question of my own.” When she turned to Dewa, Fuji was surprised to see a certain… darkness to her face that wasn’t there earlier. It wasn’t quite hostile or threatening, but more… haunting. He took a step back nonetheless. “How did we get here?”

“H-Huh?” Dewa stuttered, leaning back a bit. “I… I mean...” He seemed to seriously consider the question for the first time, a frown etching lines onto his face. “I...” Dewa was quiet for a moment. “I don’t remember...”

“Exactly.” Kuno nodded. Her terrifying expression was gone as quickly as it had arrived, leaving her face flat once again. “I take it you two don’t remember anything either?” She asked, addressing Chujo and Fuji.

“Nope.” Chujo replied.

“Jeez, way to be worried.” Dewa said.

“...I don’t remember either.” Fuji told her.

“Yup.” Kuno simply nodded. “Honda and Amami don’t remember either. Neither do any of the other Ultimates I spoke to.” She frowned. “So while it isn’t good that I don’t remember my talent… I think we’re in a little more trouble than that.”

“Trouble?” Fuji asked. “What kind of tr-”

Before he could finish, there was a static filled squawk that sounded through the air, coming from above. The four of them glanced upwards, and Fuji spotted a monitor, displaying static, among the satellite dishes on the radio tower. He pointed it out, and they all stared up at it as the static noise continued. Then, the noise cut out, and a familiar voice played over an unseen intercom.

“Hello? Hello? I won’t say ‘hello’ a lot this time, but I wanted to make sure you guys were paying attention!” The voice said. There was a strange warbling in the static on the monitor, as though something were trying to come through, but it eventually petered out. “Um… attention, students! This is an official announcement! We’ve decided that you guys have, like, made enough introductions, or whatever. And… what does this say? Does this say ‘driving hell’?” The intercom cut out, then came back on a moment later.

“ATTENTION-STUDENTS,” a second familiar voice said. “THIS-IS-AN-OFFICIAL-ANNOUNCEMENT. THE-TIME-FOR-INTRODUCTIONS-HAS-FINISHED. PLEASE-DIRECT-YOURSELVES-TO-THE-DINING-HALL-FOR-FURTHER-DEBRIEFING. ADJOURNED.” Once it was finished speaking, the announcement cut off unceremoniously, leaving the air quiet.

“Hmm.” Kuno said.

“...I think this situation warrants a little bit more than a ‘hmm’.” Dewa sighed, rubbing his head. “Jeez, this is so weird.” He glanced at Fuji. “Guess we should go, huh?”

“I think so.” Fuji nodded. “We don’t get anything by… not going, I guess.”

“And yet...” Kuno murmured. When Fuji looked at her, however, she shook her head. “No. Never mind. Let’s go.”

“Are we going?” Chujo asked.

“Dude, how are you a minute behind?” Dewa asked, shaking his head. “Come on. Let’s just go before I seriously consider swimming out of here.” He marched on ahead, and Chujo followed after a moment. That left Fuji and Kuno alone, and Kuno’s attention seemed to have drifted back to the Navigation Building.

“...hey, uh, Kuno.” Fuji spoke up. Kuno glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. He swallowed thickly, but continued. “Are you… alright? It sounded like you were… thinking about something.”

“...” Kuno stared at him for a few seconds before shaking her head. “I’m fine. I’m just… confused. Why can’t I remember my talent?”

“Ah.” Fuji said, chuckling nervously. “Well… I can’t really help you with that. Maybe… if we go meet up like these voices want… uh, you’ll figure something out?”

“Maybe.” Kuno said simply. With that, she brushed past Fuji, moving to leave the area behind the Hotel. Fuji was left alone, and he pressed his lips together before sighing and following after.

Dewa and Chujo were waiting for them at the front of the Hotel. As he approached, Fuji hazarded a glance at the Pool, and found that it was empty. Guess everybody really did go. Dewa sighed as Fuji approached.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this, dude.”

“Same here.” Kuno said.

“...I understand, I do too, but...” Fuji trailed off.

“Yeah, I know.” Dewa nodded. “No point in getting hung up. C’mon, guys.” He pulled open the Hotel doors and headed inside, quickly followed by Kuno and Chujo. Fuji stared at the horizon for a second before following.

The four didn’t say any more as they made their way to the Dining Hall. In Fuji’s opinion… there wasn’t really much _to_ say, at least before everybody joined up and figured out what the announcements wanted. Still, that didn’t stop a seed of worry from sprouting in his head, nor did it settle his flipping stomach down any.

It wasn’t hard to hear the commotion from the hallway, and there was a loudness behind the Dining Hall doors that was almost comforting. Like passing by a classroom in school. Dewa didn’t hesitate to march up and throw the Dining Hall doors open. As he did so, twelve pairs of eyes settled onto the four, and the room grew quiet as they all entered.

“…that’s all sixteen of us, then.” Honda said.

“Sixteen Ultimates...” Chujo mused.

“Wow! This is so cool!” Kimura cheered. “I’ve never been in the same place as fifteen other Ultimates before!”

“Oh, you’re right!” Uma chimed in. “It’s so much different when we’re all together! I’ll have to take notes...” She whipped out her notepad and began writing.

“This won’t last.” Kuno said simply.

“Wh… what the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Tadamori gasped. “You tryna freak us all out?!”

“She has a point.” Jitsuko said. “This isn’t right.”

“Indeed. Something is amiss.” Goto said. “Though I don’t enjoy relying of feelings… this feels wrong.”

“It’s not that bad.” Sasabe said, grinning. “At least the boat is nice!”

“But why are we here?...” Amami crossed his arms. “And how did we get here?”

“And where is ‘here’ anyway?” Valentine asked. “The place is nice and all, but… eesh. This is a little creepy.”

“...can we settle down a bit?” Honda’s voice carried through the Dining Hall, and drew everybody’s attention. “I don’t want things to get out of hand.”

“Things are already out of hand, moron!” Tadamori snapped. “We’re on a boat in the middle of fuck all nowhere, with nobody else in sight! I think this counts as ‘out of hand’!”

“...are we really alone?” Ikari asked, frowning.

“I don’t see anybody else.” Goto said.

“...” Dewa scooted closer to Fuji, stooping down a bit. “Man, what the hell is going on?” He whispered.

“...I have no idea.” Fuji replied, voice low. “But… well, at least we’re all here? That seems like a good thing, right?”

“Wait.” Sasabe suddenly said. The others turned to her, and she cocked her head. “You guys hear that?”

“Hear what?” Ikari asked.

“Sounds like...” Sasabe’s smile left in favor of a thoughtful pout. “Sounds like… somebody movin’.” She raised an arm up and pointed at the Kitchen.

“Yeah, but we’re all here, dumbass.” Tadamori said. “Who could possib-”

She was cut off by the sound of the Kitchen door creaking. Everybody who was starting to say something instantly shut up, and sixteen pairs of eyes directed themselves towards the Kitchen door. Nothing seemed to happen at first. Then, the door creaked again, and slowly began swinging out. Nobody moved as the door slowly opened up to reveal…

“Whew! Long trip!” A familiar voice said. The voice that spoke first on the broadcasts emerged from the Kitchen in the form of… a foot tall stuffed animal. Fuji couldn’t believe his eyes. It appeared to be some sort of… plush bear, standing no higher than Fuji’s knees. It was dual colored, with one half snow white, and the other half some kind of artificial red. One of its eyes, the one on the red side, was a strange, jagged shape, while the other was a simple black dot. Its mouth took the form of an ear wide grin, stitched solely onto its red half. It also had on a dark scarf, wound around its… ‘neck’.

The plush bear mimed wiping its brow, then turned around. It jumped into the air at the sight of the sixteen Ultimates staring at it. “Woah!” It shouted. Somehow. “You guys move fast! Uh… oh, I’m suffering from stage fright! Gimme a moment, please!” The sixteen of them watched, dumbfounded, as it scurried back into the Kitchen.

“...what the fuck.” Dewa said.

The Kitchen door creaked again, and the little plush bear half appeared, its top obscured by the door. It let out a quiet ‘hup!’, and there was the sound of clacking metal. And then it pulled a bazooka from out behind the door.

There was a whirlwind of activity once the weapon was exposed. There were a few screams, and a couple of shouts. Jitsuko and Ikari each grabbed a table and flipped them onto their sides, and the students scrambled behind the makeshift barricades. Fuji peeked out from behind Jitsuko, staring at the little bear who had a full sized, red painted bazooka on its tiny shoulder.

“...what?” It asked. “Is there something on my face?”

“I-THINK-THEY-ARE-AFRAID.” A second familiar voice said. Fuji watched as the Kitchen door swung open a little further, and another toy waddled out into the Dining Hall. This one seemed… more robotic, like an action figure, with evident joints and separate parts. Instead of red, this one was half green. It was still, however, a bear. When it emerged, it had a bipod mounted machine gun in its arms, pained a green that matched its body.

“...of my face?” The first toy asked.

“OF-OUR-ARMAMENTS.” The second one responded.

The first toy angled its head upwards, staring at its own bazooka, then laughed. “Oh! Haha, I guess that makes sense.” It turned back to the students. “Don’t worry about the guns! We just wanna talk!” Its grin somehow grew. “Alright, we’ll start with something easy! My name is Monotaro!”

“AND-I-AM-MONODAM.” The green bear said.

“And the two of us are the Deckhands on this ship!”

“THE-ULTIMATE-CRUISE-LINER-FOR-GIFTED-TRAVELERS.”

“Pleased to meet you!” Monotaro finished.

“...” A silence settled down over the Dining Hall. Fuji wasn’t sure if he was willing to take them at their word, considering that the red one was waving that bazooka around without a care in the world. The two bears glanced at each other. And then Kuno stood up.

“Hey!” Jitsuko hissed, making a grab at her. “Stay down!”

“It’s fine.” Kuno replied, pushing Jitsuko’s hand away. “If they wanted to kill us… I’m sure they would have by now.” She stepped over the table, much to the other students’ dismay, and walked up to the two toy bears. “Is that right?”

“Yup!” Monotaro said. “There’s no need to be afraid.”

“WE-WILL-NOT-HARM-YOU.” Monodam said. “IT-IS-NOT-OUR-JOB.”

At that admission, and the fact that Kuno hadn’t been blown to bits or riddled with holes yet, the others started to ease out from behind their barricades. Kuno, however, didn’t wait for them to finish, glancing back down at the two bears.

“So, what is it you two want, then?” She asked, “It’s clearly not something that we’ll want to do. There’d be no use for the guns otherwise.”

“Well, it’s simple!” Monotaro said. “We want your participation!”

“Participation?” Honda asked, taking a step closer. “Participation in what?”

“In...” Monotoaro began, then trailed off. “In… In a… Oh my goodness!” He put a hand to his cheek. “Monodam, I can’t do it! You do it!”

“VERY-WELL.” Monodam said. He turned to the sixteen Ultimates, and his jagged eye lit up red. “YOU-WILL-BE-PARTICIPATING-IN… A-KILLING-GAME.”

“A Killing Game!” Monotaro repeated. A harsh red glow came from beneath the material of his jagged eye as well. Again, the Dining Hall was shocked silent, though it was an unexpected voice that broke the silence.

“H-Huh?...” Hiramoto asked. “K-Killing?...”

“...who are we gonna be killing?” Sasabe asked.

“Uhhhh…” Monotaro glanced at Monodam. “Are we allowed to say that yet?”

“...” Monodam didn’t respond.

“Uhhhh…” Monotaro began, shrugging. “See, uh… I don’t wanna spoil the fun. I can’t really remember if I can say that yet or not, and I don’t wanna… make anybody mad.”

“Well I’m _already_ mad.” Jitsuko snapped. “So tell us, _now_.”

“Now, now...” A new, unknown voice cooed. Fuji whipped his head around, but couldn’t find the source of the voice. It continued talking. “There’s no need to get violent just yet! There will be _plenty_ of time for that later on! First off...” It trailed off, and then the lights in the Dining Hall shut off. There was a couple of screams and surprised gasps, and Fuji found himself plunged into darkness. He reached out, and something else grabbed his hand. He pulled it close, and it pulled him close.

And then, on the far side of the Dining Hall, there was a shining beam of light coming from what seemed to be down below. It was a pleasant yellow, illuminating the general area just enough. Fuji glanced down and saw that the person he had found was Hiramoto, who was currently clinging to his arm in fear.

An object shot out of the beam of light, and it corkscrewed through the air almost gracefully. It nearly touched the ceiling before plummeting and landing with a solid _‘WHUMPH’_ on one of the tables. Then, the beam of light slowly faded off, and the room was left dark and silent.

“Ow, jeez!” The voice exclaimed. The lights instantly flicked back on, and Fuji got a good look at the figure that was now on the table. It seemed to be a stuffed bear plush, like the red one, only larger. Instead of red, its nonwhite side was a jet black, and its jagged eye was a dangerous red. It had no frills, no accessories, no nothing. Just a half-black, half-white bear plush toy. It appeared to be rubbing its butt. “I really need to work on my entrances. Maybe… wings next time? Or a jet pack...”

“There’s the Captain!” Monotaro cheered, dropping his bazooka onto the ground. Half the students flinched and jerked back as it hit the ground, and thankfully didn’t go off.

“GREETINGS.” Monodam said.

“Yes, yes, I’m sure you’re both very happy to see me, my precious Deckhands.” The black and white bear said. “But I need you two to be quiet for a hot second while I talk to the idiot brigade.”

“...idiot brigade?” Ikari parroted.

“We’re not idiots!” Valentine snapped.

“Fine, fine, we’ll use a different word.” The bear flapped one of its paws dismissively. “You can be the loser crew or the bastard squad instead. It really doesn’t matter what kind of bad word I call you!”

“You could just not call us anything.” Chujo said.

“That… really isn’t the problem right now.” Amami told him.

“Yes.” Goto agreed. “Our problem is with the toys swinging weapons around.”

“Okay, I can’t let that one slide!” The black and white bear snapped. “I am _not_ a toy! A toy is something that you give to a kid to play with, and slobber all over, and eventually break and throw out. But _I_ am a sophisticated machine, one who has thousands upon thousands of adoring fans and groupies! I am not just a toy, I am a _mascot_! An _icon_! And my name is MONOKUMA!” It finished, throwing up its arms.

“Mono… kuma?” Uma cocked her head.

“...” Esumi put a finger to her chin and pursed her lips. She turned to Jitsuko and started signing.

“Esumi wants to know what the fuck you are.” Jitsuko said, turning to Monokuma.

“Oh my- do kids these days have the attention span of a roach?!” Monokuma snapped. “I _just_ said that I’m Monokuma! Is that not enough for you little brats?!” He stared down at the sixteen silent students before groaning. “Ugh. Fine. I’m also the Captain for this little expedition. I’ll be supervising your Killing Game experience, and making sure everything is handled fairly.”

“Speaking of.” Kuno spoke up again, seemingly intent on getting everybody back on track. “Your assistants mentioned this same ‘Killing Game’. Explain yourself.”

“Yeah,” Sasabe chimed in as well. “Who are we killing?”

“Puhuhuhu...” Monokuma giggled.

“...care to explain what’s so funny?” Honda asked.

“It’s just funny that you bastards haven’t figured it out yet!” Monokuma snickered. “Okay, I’ll give you a hint! You can’t hurt me or my precious Deckhands!”

“...wait.” Amami said. “But if there’s nobody else here, that just leaves-”

“One of us!” Kimura interrupted, finishing his sentence.

“Thaaaat’s right! Ahahahaha!” Monokuma cackled. “The sixteen of you will be participating in an ‘Only a Few Holds Barred’, PvP Killing Game!”

“E-Each other?...” Hiramoto whispered from Fuji’s side, her iron grip on his bicep tightening.

“Like hell I’m gonna do that!” Tadamori yelled.

“Wait, what?” Monokuma looked at her, cocking his head. “You don’t wanna?”

“Like hell we wanna!” Dewa snapped. “Who in the right goddamn mind would wanna participate in a Killing Game?!”

“...Well, that’s a bit of a problem, then.” Monokuma said, putting a paw to where his chin would be if he had one. He seemed to think about it for a second, then shrugged. “Ah well. Not like you have a choice.”

“...huh?” Ikari asked. “We don’t?”

“...No.” Kuno said. “We’re trapped here.”

“That’s right.” Honda followed. “We’re stuck on this boat in the middle of the ocean. And we can’t hurt our captors because… they have weapons.” He glanced at Monotaro and Monodam. “Which means...”

“You sorry lot are entirely at my mercy!” Monokuma cackled.

“Hey, so, I have a question!” Sasabe spoke up. “So, like, are we all gonna get weapons of our own, or do we have to do it with our fists, or what? Is there like, a minimum body count?”

“Dude, what the hell?!” Dewa turned to her. “What are you even asking?!”

“Well I just wanna know!” Sasabe pouted.

“No, I’m not going to be ‘providing weapons’!” Monokuma shouted, looking ticked off. “How entitled! Kids these days, expecting murder to come to them on a silver platter! When I was a cub, I had to work for my murder!”

“The good ol’ days...” Monotaro sighed.

“UPHILL-BOTH-WAYS.” Monodam said.

“Besides, I won’t accept some mass slaughter! That’s not interesting at all if there’s only sixteen of you!” Monokuma huffed. “Nobody wants to see just one person running amok with a chainsaw or something.”

“Isn’t that the whole appeal of slasher films?” Chujo asked.

“What, no!” Dewa suddenly interjected. “Slasher films, while having a very large focus on near cathartic dealings with the more wicked and looked down upon aspects of humanity, are nowhere near just about the senseless slaughter! There’s layers.”

“Okay, first off.” Monokuma began. “Nerd alert.” He flapped a paw at Dewa, who flushed. “And second, there’s no mass slaughter because this game has more nuance than that! You can’t just kill, you have to get away with it!”

“Get away with murder...” Kuno repeated, trailing off.

“Indeed!” Monokuma nodded. “In fact, we even organize ‘Class Trials’ in order to make finding out the filthy murderer even more exciting!”

“What in the hell is a ‘Class Trial’?” Goto spat.

“You don’t know what a Class Trial is?!” Monokuma gasped. “For shame! What kind of fan are you?!” He tutted. “Very well. I’ll just have my faithful Deckhands explain in my stead. Deckhands!”

“Of course!” Monotaro shouted, literally jumping to the occasion. “Let’s start with the basics! If any of you worm brains commits a murder, then that means we do a Class Trial!” He nodded, seemingly to himself. “Class Trials are where the murderous ‘Blackened’ faces off against the innocent ‘Spotless’!”

“CLASS-TRIALS-ARE-A-COLLABORATIVE-EXPERIENCE.” Monodam continued, “STUDENTS-WILL-WORK-TOGETHER-TO-DISCUSS-THE-IDENTITY-OF-THE-BLACKENED. DISCUSSION-WILL-BE-BASED-OFF-OF-GATHERED-EVIDENCE.” He adjusted his position, facing to the side. “AND-AT-THE-END-OF-A-CLASS-TRIAL...”

“We proceed to the designated Voting Time!” Monotaro picked up. “If a majority of students successfully decide on the identity of the Blackened...”

“THEN-ONLY-THE-BLACKENED-IS-PUNISHED.” Monodam finished.

“After the punishment, then the rest of you jerks get to continue living here on the Ultimate Cruise Liner!” Monotaro proclaimed. “But there’s also a situation where you guys get it wrong! Uh oh!”

“IN-SUCH-AN-OCCASION,” Monodam continued, “THE-BLACKENED-IS-FREE-TO-RETURN-TO-SHORE.”

“And the Spotless are the ones punished instead!” Monotaro finished.

“W-Wait...” Fuji spoke up. “You guys… you’re moving too fast...”

“And them’s the breaks!” Monokuma shouted, ignoring Fuji. “It’s not just enough to kill one of your fellow suckers! You also need to fool everybody else at the Class Trial!”

“Kill and get away with it...” Kuno mused.

“This is real fucked up...” Dewa said, running a hand through his hair.

“Wait a minute...” Jitsuko butted in. “You mentioned ‘punishment’ a bunch. I know you… freaks aren’t the type to send somebody to jail. What the hell’s this ‘punishment’ shit?”

“Excellent question!” Monokuma shouted, his evident excitement, sending a shiver down Fuji’s spine. “One with a simple answer! Execution!”

“E-Execution?...” Hiramoto whispered.

“That’s right!” Monokuma cackled. “Any sorry sucker who messes up and doesn’t get away with murder is suitably punished by yours truly in a mind blowing, blood pumping, heart pounding execution! Custom tailored, made to fit!” Monokuma smirked, as much as he could with an expression that didn’t change. “You know how it is! An eye for an eye, a life for a life!”

“Are you jokin’?...” Jitsuko asked under her breath.

Esumi looked faint, clutching at her chest guard.

“No jokes here!” Monokuma proclaimed, pumping a paw in the air. “Only serious business here on our ‘Overseas Killing Venture’!” He cackled again. “And don’t worry, there’s no restrictions either! All you have to do is get creative! Feel free to stab, shoot, or blow up your classmates! Hang them, poison them, or cut them up! The only limit is your imagination, with no late work penalties!”

“A Killing Game...” Kuno muttered.

“This shit is _not_ a game.” Tadamori said, shuddering.

“At least we’ll be kept on our toes...” Kimura mused.

“You guys are seriously way too calm for this!” Valentine yelled.

“I...” Hiramoto managed. Fuji glanced up at her, swaying on her feet. “I… c-can’t do this...”

“Alright! An easy first target!” Monokuma cheered. “Excellent!” He did a little dance on the table, then threw his arms out. “Alrighty then! That’s quite enough of this boring exposition! I’m putting an end to this uninteresting prologue and starting us onto the main course!” Monokuma stared out at the sixteen students, and his red eye glinted dangerously.

“Let the amazing, awe inspiring, fantastically thrilling Overseas Killing Venture… begin!” Monokuma began cackling, and Monotaro and Monodam followed up with their own laughter.

Hiramoto finally fainted, slumping off of Fuji’s arm and falling to the floor.

Fuji found himself unable to move, limbs frozen in place as Monokuma and his Deckhands laughed. What had he done in a previous life to deserve something like this?…

**PROLOGUE:**

**ALL ABOARD! DESTINATION: OUR INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY!**

**END**

**REMAINING STUDENTS: 16**


	3. Prologue, Bonus - Student Profiles

**STUDENT ID PROFILES + APPEARANCES**

 

**YOTA FUJI**

Height: 5’4” (162.5 cm)

Weight: 115 lbs (52.1 kg)

Chest: 30” (76.2 cm)

Blood Type: O

D.O.B.: August 23rd

Likes: International T-shirts

Dislikes: Eggs

Talent: Ultimate Antiquarian

Note by Yota Fuji: Wait, why can I comment on my own profile? This seems kinda redundant...

 

Appearance: Fuji is of average height and build, with fair skin and scraggly white hair that sticks up in various ways, with a prominent ahoge. He has red eyes with bags under them due to exhaustion. Fuji has a few scars and scrapes on his exposed skin.

Fuji wears an unzipped black jacket with the emblem of his previous high school on the breast over top a white t-shirt that has a faded image of Machu Picchu on it. He has thick hiking pants covered in tears, patches, and hasty stitches, as well as steel toed hiking boots. Fuji wears a thick pair of glasses, and has his hands wrapped with bandages.

* * *

 

**JUNPEI DEWA**

Height: 5’10” (178 cm)

Weight: 139 lbs (63 kg)

Chest: 37” (93.9 cm)

Blood Type: AB

D.O.B.: February 28th

Likes:Popcorn

Dislikes:Overly complicated plots

Talent: Ultimate Movie Critic

Note by Yota Fuji: He seems nice. Pretty energetic and kind of loud, but he seems to like me for whatever reason. A good friend.

 

Appearance: Dewa is tall and strong, with lots of muscle. He’s got tanned skin and short, wavy blond hair. His hair covers up most of his ears and flops down in front of one of his eyes. His eyes are a sharp green. He has a large smile and a sunny feel about him. Dewa’s face is angular and sharp, giving a slight ‘aggressive’ contrast to his otherwise pleasant features. He has some sparse hair on his forearms, shins, and chest.

Dewa wears a pair of cargo shorts and sandals. For a shirt, he has on a light gray t-shirt underneath an opened up yellow and orange Hawaiian shirt. From his shirt collar hangs a pair of 3D glasses, and he has a gold chain necklace hanging from his neck.

* * *

 

**NADAKO HIRAMOTO**

Height:5’11” (180 cm)

Weight: 111 lbs (60.8 kg)

Chest:29” (73.7 cm)

Blood Type: A

D.O.B.: August 16th

Likes:Chalk

Dislikes:Sharing a room

Talent:Ultimate Tutor

Note by Yota Fuji: She's so shy, and it's hard to ignore the stutter. Is she doing okay? I feel awkward asking.

 

Appearance: Hiramoto is a tall, almost unhealthily lanky girl. Her skin is fair and covered in freckles, and she has long, dark purple hair that is extremely fluffy and goes down to her butt, and almost seems to fall down around her in a waterfall. Her height and lanky limbs give her an awkward air about her, and she tends to ‘fold up’ her arms and pull her hair around her, making her appear smaller than she actually is. She has dark brown eyes.

Hiramoto wears a tan, plaid waistcoat over a light gray collared shirt, alongside a black tie. She also has on a long, modest, mauve pleated skirt and black flats. Hiramoto also has an over the shoulder satchel and silver ball earrings.

* * *

 

**FUKUMI UMA**

Height: 5’6” (167.6 cm)

Weight: 136 lbs (61.7 kg)

Chest: 32” (81.3 cm)

Blood Type: O

D.O.B.: December 22nd

Likes:Confetti

Dislikes:Paparazzi

Talent:Ultimate Reporter

Note by Yota Fuji: Her energy and enthusiasm is admirable, if a bit overwhelming. Still, she's super nice about things.

 

Appearance: Uma has tan skin and bright purple eyes. Her hair is straight, black and cut into a short bob with bangs. She is a little bit on the chubby side. There is a small birthmark on her neck, a patch of skin lighter in coloration than the rest, in a blotchy shape right on her windpipe.

Uma wears a white, collared shirt with a black tie. She has a brown pencil skirt with attached suspenders on, and wears black high heels. On her head is a matching brown reporter’s fedora with a black band, and there’s a #2 pencil nestled behind her left ear. Her shirt’s breast pocket holds a small notepad and has a few pens hanging from it. A camera also hangs from her neck by a strap. Uma has simple, small hoop earrings in her ears.

* * *

 

**KOYO GOTO**

Height: 5’6” (167.6 cm)

Weight: 248 lbs (112.5 kg)

Chest: 37” (98.9 cm)

Blood Type: AB

D.O.B.: June 1st

Likes:Logic puzzles

Dislikes:Modern art

Talent: Ultimate Mathematician

Note by Yota Fuji: He's uh... he's a little rude. Well, more than a little. Still, it doesn't... seem like he's a jerk on purpose, if that makes sense. Still super pompous.

 

Appearance: Goto is rather overweight, giving him a bulky figure. He has close cropped brown hair, with pale skin and brown eyes. He stands at an average height and has ‘pinchable cheeks’. His posture is very good, and is very well kept, appearance wise, with no part of his body ungroomed. His hair is combed and clean, and his skin is clear and hair-free.

Goto wears a white lab coat over top a red button up shirt. He has tan corduroy pants and dark brown loafers, his pants held up with a black leather belt. His shirt is haphazardly tucked into his pants, and seems to puff up somewhat. He has a monocle over his left eye, due to some sight problems in that eye only, as well as an old fashioned watch attached to one of his belt loops by a chain. He has an empty pipe that he likes to keep in his mouth.

* * *

 

**TOMO TADAMORI**

Height: 5’4” (162.6 cm)

Weight: 148 lbs (67.1 kg)

Chest: 36” (91.4 cm)

Blood Type: B

D.O.B.: October 30th

Likes:Cats

Dislikes:Her cat allergy

Talent:Ultimate Personal Reformist

Note by Yota Fuji: The way she talks to me makes me feel super awkward. Nobody's been interested in me like _that_ before.

 

Appearance: Tadamori is pale, standing at average height with a bit of a chubbier build. Her hair is black, dyed green at the tips, and is extremely curly. It comes down to her shoulders in a large mass. She has intense blue eyes, and despite her build has very sharp features, with a pointed nose and sharp jawline.

Tadamori wears a black letterman jacket with white arms, left open to show the grey undershirt underneath. She has on a jean skirt with fishnet stockings and thigh high, high heeled black boots. There is a spiked choker around her neck, and she has a multitude of lip and ear rings. In her hair is a deep violet headband, and she has spiked wristbands. Tadamori also puts on violet eye shadow and black lipstick.

* * *

 

**DIANA VALENTINE**

Height: 5’5” (165 cm)

Weight: 140 lbs (63.5 kg)

Chest: 33” (85 cm)

Blood Type: B

D.O.B.: March 22nd

Likes:Showing off

Dislikes:Thunderstorms

Talent:Ultimate Street Performer

Note by Yota Fuji: Her Japanese is kind of rough, but it seems rude of me to expect somebody born out of country to speak it well. She's so upbeat, I can't keep up.

 

Appearance: Diana is a little short, but well developed. She has brown skin and excited hazel eyes, with hair in a dark turquoise. It is usually done up in a large, poofy ponytail, aside from two long locks that hang down in front of her ears. She has a decently muscular build, something akin to an acrobat.

Diana wears a low cut red dress, with slits on the side to allow for easier movement, patterned with maroon waves. She has black thigh highs, black sneakers, and two knife sheathes strapped to her thighs. Diana has two golden ball earrings, as well as a tongue and septum piercing.

* * *

 

**KAGEMORO CHUJO**

Height: 5’9” (175 cm)

Weight: 99 lbs (45 kg)

Chest: 33” (83.8 cm)

Blood Type: A

D.O.B.: May 4th

Likes:Black coffee

Dislikes:Markers

Talent: Ultimate Ghostwriter

Note by Yota Fuji: He looks so tired. I know my sleeping schedule isn't very good, but I'm worried this guy is gonna collapse at any moment.

 

Appearance: Chujo is of average build and pale of skin. His eyes are green and ringed with dark skin from exhaustion. He has short, curly black hair, which springs around when he moves. Aside from that, he seems completely normal.

Chujo wears an olive green hoodie with a blocky red pattern on the back, the edge of the hood ringed in fluff. He wears jeans and sneakers, and overall has a rather average appearance. He has a set of headphones draped over his neck, connected to something in his pocket.

* * *

 

**TSUBAKI IKARI**

Height: 6’ (183 cm)

Weight: 209 lbs (94.8 kg)

Chest: 35” (88.9 cm)

Blood Type: AB

D.O.B.: April 5th

Likes:High speeds

Dislikes:Rust

Talent: Ultimate Bicyclist

Note by Yota Fuji: His heart is definitely in the right place, but he seems... a bit behind. Still, he seems reliable, at the very least.

 

Appearance: Ikari is tall and lean, with runner’s muscles and bulky legs. He has somewhat tanned skin from being outside frequently, and very short brown hair. His eyes are a soft grey. Ikari has a chipped tooth and a nose that has evidently been broken, but otherwise gives off a feel of being somebody who takes much care of himself.

Ikari’s typical outfit consists of a tight fitting, royal purple undershirt with black seams and a pair of black bike shorts with indigo trim. He has black runner’s shoes, as well as a small towel draped over his shoulders. A pair of sunglasses rest on his nose, and he has fingerless gloves on. A mustard yellow cycling jacket is tied around his waist.

* * *

 

**HYOUSUKE KIMURA**

Height: 5’7” (170 cm)

Weight: 143 lbs (64.7 kg)

Chest: 31” (78.7 cm)

Blood Type:B

D.O.B.: July 19th

Likes:Flirting

Dislikes:Prudes

Talent:Ultimate Charismatic

Note by Yota Fuji: He gives off bad vibes up until he opens his mouth. Something about his voice is nice to listen to, but the words that come out of him?... Scary...

 

Appearance: Kimura’s physical appearance is, interestingly enough, very average. He stands at a neutral height, not tall or short, and has fair skin with a mild spattering of freckles. He has gold eyes that can appear orange in the right lighting, and fluffy orange hair. His build is average, and he tends to slouch.

Kimura wears a navy sweater vest over top a black collared dress shirt. He has a red tie that hangs over his sweater vest, which has been cut up to resemble a lightning bolt. He wears pressed dress pants and gray dress shoes. Kimura also has a golden stud in each ear, as well a bracelet on his right wrist made of black shells.

* * *

 

**JUTARO JITSUKO**

Height: 6’5” (195 cm)

Weight: 172 lbs (78 kg)

Chest: 48” (101.6 cm)

Blood Type: AB

D.O.B.: January 29th

Likes:Silence

Dislikes:Television

Talent:Ultimate Kickboxer

Note by Yota Fuji: If I say anything bad about her… I don’t think I’d survive. Still, she doesn’t seem too mean if you aren’t annoying her.

 

Appearance: Jitsuko is tall and very muscular. She has brown skin and short hair that doesn’t go past her neck. However, her light brown hair is very messy, and tends to stick out in various directions. Her eyes are blue, her eyebrows are thick, and she has a bit of a ‘resting bitch face’. Her hands and forearms have a variety of scars and marks on them, especially around the knuckles.

Jitsuko’s outfit is unique, consisting of deep emerald green karate gi with the sleeves torn off and a black belt. She also has on a gakuran, left unbuttoned, that seems to be longer than the standard with a tall, stiff collar. There are hand wraps on both of her arms, done loosely with slack so that they can be tightened to fit later. Notably, she also has a black cap on, with the back torn out.

* * *

 

**SETSUNA ESUMI**

Height: 4’9” (157 cm)

Weight: 102 lbs (46.2 kg)

Chest: 27” (68.6 cm)

Blood Type: O

D.O.B.: November 8th

Likes:Daydreaming

Dislikes:Crowds

Talent:Ultimate Archer

Note by Yota Fuji: I like her. Sign Language is fun, and she seems to try and take everything in stride.

 

Appearance: Esumi is small and unassuming in stature. She has a lean build, with muscle that isn’t necessarily evident upon a passing glance. Still, she has surprising strength. Her hair is a uniform aqua, and her eyes are a similar blue. Her hair is long in the front, angled left and sweeping forward over the left side of her face, covering her left eye.

Esumi wears a solid, sea foam green tank top over a dark skirt with compression shorts underneath. She has a chest guard on over her left shoulder, a thin, three fingered glove on her left hand, and a bracer on her right forearm. Esumi wears simple tennis shoes. She also has a hair clip with a small, removable metal arrow on it, which is used to pin her hair out of her face when she’s shooting.

* * *

 

**REIKA SASABE**

Height: 5’9” (175.3 cm)

Weight: 150 lbs (68.1 kg)

Chest: 34” (86.4 cm)

Blood Type: AB

D.O.B.: June 12th

Likes:Open seas

Dislikes:Mud

Talent:Ultimate Spearfisher

Note by Yota Fuji: She scares me. I think that’s all I can really say. I don’t like talking poorly of people, but her smile scares me.

 

Appearance: Sasabe is tall and well built, with a significant and evident amount of muscle. She has sun kissed skin, as well as chocolate brown hair that comes down to her shoulders. Her hair seems to be a bit matted on the top of her head, though is otherwise straight and clean. Her skin is clear, though does seem to have a few scars dotted around on her exposed skin. Her eyes are green.

Sasabe’s main article of clothing is a one-piece swimsuit. It’s a uniform maroon in color, and seems to be made out of a material that dully reflects light. In addition, Sasabe wears a pair of tan cargo shorts, as well as a pair of sandals and a straw sunhat. A pair of goggles hangs from her neck.

* * *

 

**TSUMOTO HONDA**

Height: 6’3” (190.5 cm)

Weight: 136 lbs (62 kg)

Chest: 28” (71.1 cm)

Blood Type:A

D.O.B.: January 10th

Likes:Storytelling

Dislikes:Hospital beds

Talent: Ultimate Public Speaker

Note by Yota Fuji: He's intimidating. Still, I like that he's confident. It's nice to see somebody with that kind of strength in a situation like this.

 

Appearance: Honda is tall and lanky, with an unhealthy pallor to his skin. His cheeks and eyes are sunken, giving him a malnourished appearance. His black hair is done up into a greasy mohawk, with the sides of his head shaved. Despite that, he has a very intimidating posture and piercing blue eyes, giving him a quote unquote ‘scary aura’.

Honda wears a brown leather vest that appears to have actually been a jacket with the sleeves torn off. Underneath, he wears a black undershirt, leaving his arms exposed. In addition, he has on torn black dress pants, a belt with a silver buckle, and worn brown dress shoes. From his neck dangles a necklace with a red ‘Delta’ symbol made of some sort of crystal.

* * *

 

**RANTARO AMAMI**

Height: 5’10” (177.8 cm)

Weight: 137 lbs (62.1 kg)

Chest: 32” (81.3 cm)

Blood Type: B

D.O.B.: October 3rd

Likes: Extraterritorial rights

Dislikes: Cars

Talent: Ultimate Adventurer

Note by Yota Fuji: He seems cool. Quiet and nice, but with a hidden intelligence. He gives off the vibe of a playboy, but there’s definitely more to him than that.

 

Appearance: Amami has an average build and good posture, with pale skin and floppy, curly hair the color of green tea. He has green eyes and fair skin. Amami is generally attractive, and gives off the vibe of a playboy.

He wears a blue and black striped sweater with elbow length sleeves, and a white shirt with a black hem underneath. His pants are baggy, in a pale brown, and he has on navy blue slip on shoes. He has a necklace with a crystal pendulum, a silver metal bracelet on one wrist and a larger brown cloth bracelet wound around the other. His fingers have a multitude of rings on them, and his ears each have six piercings, five in the cartilage and one in the lobe. His right eyebrow is pierced as well.

* * *

 

**MARI KUNO**

Height: 5’6” (167.6 cm)

Weight: 132 lbs (59.9 kg)

Chest: 30” (76.2 cm)

Blood Type: B

D.O.B.: September 15th

Likes: Warm jackets

Dislikes:Heavy wind

Talent: Ultimate ???

Note by Yota Fuji: You know how, in mystery games and stuff, there's always a stoic who seems to know more than they let on? That's Kuno.

 

Appearance: Kuno stands at an average height with an average build. She has fair skin with a small spattering of freckles and red hair, long enough to be tied up in a short side ponytail coming down to her collarbone. Her eyes are a dark, almost black, brown. Kuno has good posture.

Kuno most distinctive article of clothing is a sheepskin bomber jacket with an attached hood. The outside of the jacket is dark brown, while the inside fluff is a light tan. She also has on olive green cargo pants, as well as steel toed boots and a black t-shirt beneath her jacket. A pair of sunglasses are hooked into her shirt collar.


	4. Chapter 1 - Maritime Breeze, Antique Despair, Part 1

**BEGIN CHAPTER 1:**

**MARITIME BREEZE, ANTIQUE DESPAIR**

**DAILY LIFE**

* * *

 

Fuji dropped down to his knees, hands darting to Hiramoto’s shoulders. Valentine and Jitsuko were immediately at Hiramoto’s side as well, and the three leaned close. Fuji started to move his hands to check for breathing when Valentine slapped them away. Fuji yelped and withdrew his hands, and Jitsuko leaned down, frowning.

“She’s okay. Just fainted.” Jitsuko said simply, straightening her back.

“Sheesh. Talk about a drama queen.” Monokuma snorted. “Hate to see what’s gonna happen to her if _this_ is the reaction we get from just saying how the game is gonna go.”

“That’s so unfair!” Valentine protested, scowling. “You’re acting like you didn’t just tell us to kill each other!”

“Boo hoo.” Monokuma replied, his tone mocking. “I thought you kids would be more accustomed to violence these days, what with your violent video games and war glorifying movies.”

“There’s a pretty big difference between seeing something fake and being forced to do it for real.” Kuno replied flatly.

“Oh hush.” Monokuma glared, as well as a stuffed bear toy could glare. “Anyways,” He continued, flapping a paw dismissively, “we don’t have time to talk about a slacker who can’t stay awake in class. I’ve got something important to give to you bastards. Deckhands!”

“Yessir!” “RIGHT-AWAY.” Monotaro and Monodam were quick to follow orders, and they each had summoned up a stack of devices from god knows where. Both bears had eight of the devices stacked in their stubby arms, and began waddling around, passing them out.

As they did so, the rest of the students loosely and awkwardly gathered around Hiramoto’s unconscious form, with Honda muscling his way forward. Jitsuko glared at him, but Honda ignored her and kneeled down. Fuji’s observation was interrupted by a prodding at his side. When he glanced over, Monotaro was holding out one of the devices for him.

“This one’s just for you!” Monotaro proclaimed.

Fuji frowned, taking the device. Monotaro nodded in satisfaction and waddled away, leaving Fuji to examine the thing placed into his hands.

It was a tablet, not unlike ones that’d be found in an electronics store. It had a touch screen and a simple switch on the side. When he flipped it over to examine the back, Fuji noticed the back was painted half black and half white, though there appeared to be a small circular piece of glass, probably a camera, and… a square piece of deep red glass embedded into the middle of the chassis. Fuji brought it close to his face and squinted. Seemed like there were some electronics on the other side, but he couldn’t tell what they were. Which meant… there was only one thing left to do with the device in his hands.

Fuji flicked the switch. Immediately, the screen lit up into a soft blue. It displayed an unfamiliar crest, which strangely enough seemed to be a school crest. Fuji frowned at that. Were these devices stolen? That thought was quickly cast into doubt when, to Fuji’s incredible surprise, the crest disappeared and his name appeared on the screen, written in clear, bold black text. Was this… made for him? What was going on here?...

“...urgh...” Hiramoto’s voice broke the strange silence that settled over the Dining Hall as she came to. “I’m… g-gonna throw up...”

“Hey, don’t move too much.” Valentine replied, voice softer than Fuji thought it could go. “You fainted. But you’re okay now, because I’m here for you!”

“Here.” Honda said. “This one is yours.” Fuji glanced over in time to see him place one of the devices onto Hiramoto’s stomach. She blinked and stared at it.

“What the hell is this?!” Tadamori screeched, holding the device at arms’ length.

“...Yes, what _are_ these things you’ve given us?” Goto asked, frowning at his own tablet.

“I suppose I could explain that, now that _everybody_ is awake.” Monokuma said, shooting a look at Hiramoto. She let out a quiet ‘eep!’ and pulled her satchel up between her and Monokuma. Valentine glared at Monokuma, while Jitsuko adjusted her position so that she was partially between Hiramoto and Monokuma. The bear in question sighed and shook his head.

“Very well!” He began. “The things you’ve all just been handed are your ‘Student IDs’! You can also call them ‘Monopads’, since I’ve so kindly redecorated them for you!” Monokuma announced. “They serve as your identity for the duration of our Overseas Killing Venture, moreso than your innate, ugly faces! You should keep your Monopads on you at all times.

“The Monopads serve a variety of functions! They open the doors to your respective rooms, as well as any locked door that requires a scanner, though not all Monopads open all doors. In addition, the Monopads hold a plethora of information vital to your success here in this Killing Game! There’ basic information on your fellow students, in case you need such simple information for your murders. You can also take notes of your own, so that you can note down the best way to kill your friends when the time comes!”

“Sheesh.” Amami said.

“…I guess they’re really committed to this.” Chujo remarked, staring down at his Monopad.

“Well of course!” Monokuma seemed peeved at that remark. “As the host of this Killing Game, if I don’t make sure things are fair and thorough, then everything falls apart!”

“...Fair?” Kuno frowned, looking up at Monokuma. Fuji wasn’t sure why she found that strange, but… now that he began to think about it as well-

“ _Speaking_ of fair,” Monokuma cut in, ignoring Kuno and stopping Fuji’s train of thought. “I’d like everybody to navigate to the tab in your Monopads labeled ‘Rules’! There are quite a few of them, but a strong backbone leads to a strong Killing Game!”

Fuji did as he was told, locating the tabs at the top of the screen. Aside from ‘Rules’, there was also ‘Students’, ‘Motives’, and ‘Notes’. Ignoring his trepidation, Fuji navigated to the ‘Rules’ section. Awaiting him was a preface.

‘ _About the rules for the Overseas Killing Venture:’_ the short paragraph began, _‘Rules are absolute, and existing ones cannot be changed or revoked. Punishment for breaking the rules involves being blown up by Monotaro and Monodam, then tossed overboard to serve as fish food.’_ At that, Fuji’s eyes widened. Punishment for _breaking a rule…_ was death?! That… wasn’t that was a little severe?… He continued on either way, finding the long list of rules before him.

* * *

 

‘ _Overseas Killing Venture Rules:_

_Rule 0: The Captain may add additional rules at any point for any reason._

_Rule 1: For the foreseeable future, students must remain on the Ultimate Cruise Liner at all time. The only exception to this rule is for attendance at Class Trials._

_Rule 2: There is an assigned "Nighttime" period that lasts from 10pm to 8am. Areas may be rendered off-limits by the Captain, so stay up to date._

_Rule 3: Students are free to explore and spend time in any approved area of the 'Ultimate Cruise Liner'._

_Rule 4: Students may only voluntarily sleep in specified staterooms._

_Rule 5: Students may sleep in the room of another student. However, permission must be given._

_Rule 6: Violence against the Captain is forbidden._

_Rule 7: When a murder occurs on the cruise liner, a Class Trial will be conducted shortly thereafter. Participation in all Class Trials is mandatory for all remaining students unless otherwise authorized by the Captain._

_Rule 8: If the killer (referred to as "the Blackened" from this point forward) is correctly discovered during the Class Trial, then they will be punished for their crime._

_Rule 9: If the Blackened cannot be discovered, or if an innocent student is voted for instead, all students except for the Blackened will be punished._

_Rule 10: If the Blackened survives the class trial, they will graduate from the Overseas Killing Venture and are allowed to return to dry land._

_Rule 11: The Overseas Killing Venture will continue until either: A) a Blackened survives a Class Trial and graduates, or B) two or less students remain._

_Rule 12: Unless a student receives some other approval, all damage to the Ultimate Cruise Liner is prohibited._

_Rule 13: The Captain and his Deckhands will never directly participate in murder._

_Rule 14: A Body Discovery Announcement will play when three or more students discover a body._

_Rule 15: Trading or destroying Monopads is strictly forbidden._

_Rule 16: Certain rules can be ignored if a student is committing a murder.’_

* * *

 

“What the hell?...” Tadamori asked, voice low. Still, it broke the thin sheet of silence that had settled over them, cracking it like glass.

“This is...” Honda began, then looked up. “Monokuma, I-” He stopped, then frowned. “Monokuma?” Honda began looking around, and a few of the others followed suit. Fuji glanced over the room and found that Monokuma, Monodam, Monotaro, and the two weapons were… gone. He hadn’t even heard them leave.

“...the fuck?” Dewa asked. “How’d they get away like that?!”

“It appears our captors are more slippery than they seem.” Goto muttered, flicking his eyes back down to his Monopad.

“Hmm...” Sasabe hummed.

“W-Wait, so… uh...” Ikari began, shuffling his feet. “What do we do now? We’re not gonna… k… kill each other, right? I don’t wanna kill anybody...”

“Obviously, we try to escape.” Jitsuko said.

“Is that even possible?” Kimura wondered aloud.

“D-Don’t say shit like that!” Tadamori snapped. “Of course we can get out of here!”

“...but we can’t break the rules, or we’ll die...” Chujo said.

“Oh, but if we’re already gone, they can’t kill us, right?” Sasabe asked, grinning. “So it’s just like Suko said!”

“Can you not call me stupid shit?” Jitsuko growled.

“Yeah… yeah, we can just escape!” Ikari nodded, his smile returning. “Yeah!”

“And _how_ , exactly, do we plan on doing that?” Goto asked, cocking his brow.

“Yeah, that’s a good question.” Valentine said, crossing her arms. “I super wanna get out of here, just like you guys, but… how?”

“Well, first things first.” Jitsuko began, standing up from her position at Hiramoto’s side. All eyes in the room were on her. “We get rid of _this_ shit.” She held her Monopad in two hands, and adjusted her legs. Fuji could tell she was about to break it over her knee.

“Stop, stop.” Kuno said, voice strong.

“...what?” Jitsuko asked, face contorting into a scowl.

“If you break that, you’re breaking a rule.”

“...that’s what you’re worried about?” Uma asked, sounding genuinely curious. “But what if the Monopads have some sort of… tracking device? Ooooor… ooh, a GPS?”

“...look.” Kuno sighed, gesturing to the side. Fuji glanced over, finding a camera mounted to the wall. A small red light blinked atop it, and it was oriented towards the group of sixteen. “We’re being watched.”

“I see.” Amami said. “So… if they break it, no matter what, it’ll be noticed.” He frowned. “They’ve probably got bugs listening to us, too...”

“What’s it gonna matter if they know I broke it?” Jitsuko asked, her arms lowering slightly.

“They’re capable of moving quickly and quietly.” Honda said simply. “And they were capable of capturing sixteen Ultimates and stranding them on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. I think they’re more than capable of punishing you for breaking a rule they made up.”

Jitsuko scowled, but dropped her knee and lowered her Monopad. “So, what then?” She snapped. “What the hell are we supposed to do?”

“We gotta do somethin’!” Tadamori butt in. “I’m not spending the rest of my life stuck on this stupid ship!”

“Yes, that is what we said we would talk about.” Goto shook his head. “Do you have anything useful to offer, or are you just going to repeat what others are saying?”

“I don’t see _you_ contributing!” Tadamori snapped back.

“H-Hey, maybe we shouldn’t yell at each other...” Ikari said, moving over to the two and holding his hands up in surrender. Both Goto and Tadamori turned to shoot him a glare.

Fuji watched from the side as most of the others descended into an argument. There was a big group in the middle, consisting of most of the others. He glanced to the side, noting that a couple people weren’t participating. Hiramoto was still on the floor, looking a little green, while Esumi crouched near her and made sure she was okay. Kuno stood to the side, arms crossed, and stared flatly at the proceedings. And Dewa was next to him, a frown on his face.

“...man, what the hell is going on?” Dewa asked after a second.

“I… really don’t know.” Fuji admitted. “Nothing really makes sense...”

“You can say that again.” Dewa replied, rubbing the back of his head. “All of us are stranded out here in the middle of fuck knows where, being forced to participate in a ‘Killing Game’.” He snorted. “Certainly not what I thought was gonna happen to me when I went to bed last night.” He glanced over at Fuji. “Hey, you good? You seem a little lost.”

“I’m… fine.” Fuji said after a second. “Just… I’m trying to figure out what to do.”

“Whatcha mean?” Dewa asked.

“I figure that… you know… we couldn’t have found everything, right?” Fuji replied. “Like… weren’t we more focused on finding everybody?”

“Yeah, sure.” Dewa nodded.

“Well… maybe we overlooked something? Something important or vital or… I dunno… a clue?” He shrugged. “Maybe if we all worked together...”

“...” Dewa thought about that, then grinned. “Yeah! Good idea, man! Hold on.” He turned to the side, and Fuji watched him think for a second before he was forced to watch Dewa jump up onto a nearby table. There was a clatter as Dewa kicked aside some laid out silverware that drew Hiramoto and Esumi’s attention, but the group in the middle was too engaged in their argument to notice. Dewa cupped his hands around his mouth.

“HEY!” He yelled. “SHUT UP!”

That wasn’t how Fuji would have done it.

“...what’cha want, Waju?” Sasabe asked.

“Fuji has something to say.” Dewa proudly proclaimed, motioning at the boy in question to get up onto the table with him. Fuji felt himself flush as he shuffled over to the table and pulled himself up.

“Uh.” Fuji began. “So, uh, I was thinking that… like… we weren’t focused on the ship earlier. When everybody was out and about.”

“Well, yeah.” Valentine responded. “We had to meet up with everybody.”

“Y-Yeah, but...” Fuji shrugged. “I figured that, like, maybe we… missed something? I thought that if all sixteen of us worked together… then, uh, maybe we could find a clue or something important that would help us get out of here.”

“So you just want us to look around?” Jitsuko asked, clearly annoyed.

The room fell silent as the others seemed to process what Fuji was asking of them. He felt himself begin to sweat a bit as some of the harsher gazes from the crowd zeroed in on him. Others looked down at the floor or ceiling in thought, while some just looked away. Fuji clenched his jaw, pressing his lips together, and felt his body heat up in embarrassment. One of his hands drifted to the opposite bicep and he rubbed there gently. Just as he began to open his mouth to protest his own idea, however...

“It’s not the worst idea.” Honda spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. “Perhaps we can figure out a way to commandeer the cruise liner.”

“I don’t know how to drive a ship...” Chujo mused.

“None of us do, I think.” Valentine said, “But I don’t think that means we should just give up! I actually really like this idea!” She directed her beaming grin up to Fuji, who nodded awkwardly and half-smiled back.

“I’ve never sailed a cruise liner before, but...” Amami mused, “I think I’d be able to figure it out. I’ve sailed some similarly big boats, how different can it be?”

“Awesome!” Sasabe cheered. “You’re a real renaissance man, aren’t ya, Ami?”

“...Ami?” Amami repeated, awkward grin on his face.

“See, guys?” Dewa announced. “I think if we stick together, then we can make it through this!”

“ _I_ think this sounds great.” Kimura agreed, grinning.

“If Fuji’s the one posing the idea, I don’t mind.” Tadamori replied.

“Alright! Working together!” Ikari cheered. “Teamwork is a great way to make new friends!”

“Indeed, indeed.” Uma nodded. “If that Monokuma wants us to be enemies… what better counter than the bonds of friendship?”

Fuji felt himself deflate in relief, all of the stress that had coiled up in his gut quickly loosening up into a large sigh at the general consensus. The others had already turned to talk amongst themselves, even those who hadn’t verbally expressed their agreement. Fuji moved off of the table. Once he was on the ground, a hand clapped his shoulder, and he turned to find Dewa offering him a toothy grin.

“Good work, man.” he said, “Knew you could do it.”

“Th-Thanks...” Fuji replied, taking a deep breath. “I’m… not good at talking for crowds.”

“Hey, nobody really is.” Dewa assured him.

“What about Honda?” Fuji asked, a half smile on his face.

“Don’t get smart with me.” Dewa replied with a playful scowl, pushing Fuji on the shoulder lightly.

“Alright!” Honda announced, his voice easily carrying through the Dining Hall. “I have a proposal before we disperse to start investigating!”

“A proposal, huh?” Sasabe mused, then smiled. “Who’s the lucky person?”

Honda rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored her. “I think we should meet up here after we finish our investigations.” He said. “That way, we can share our findings more easily, and perhaps even enjoy a meal together if need be.”

“I’m fine with it!” Valentine announced. She then turned to Hiramoto, grinning. “Hey, we should explore together!”

“W-W-With… y-you w-wan-nna explore w-with me?” Hiramoto stuttered out.

“Well, yeah!” Valentine replied, already grabbing Hiramoto’s hand and starting to drag her away. “I wanna keep an eye on you and make sure you’re okay! Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from Monokuma!” Fuji noted that the height difference between Hiramoto and Valentine was almost comical, considering Valentine was at least half a foot shorter than Hiramoto.

“Feh. Better this than nothin’.” Jitsuko commented, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her gakuran. “Let’s go, Esumi.” She plodded towards the exit, Esumi nodding excitedly and following. Sasabe gave off a dismayed ‘Wait for me, Suko!’ and jogged after them.

Amami and Honda left as a pair, Chujo and Goto trailing behind them. Tadamori left with Ikari and Kuno. That left Fuji, Dewa, Uma, and Kimura alone in the Dining Hall.

“Great speech, Fuji.” Kimura said. He… _sounded_ sincere, though Fuji wasn’t sure how much was the actual truth and how much was Kimura’s raw charisma. “I think you’ve got the makings of a real leader, y’know? Keep up the good work!” And with that, he was scampering out, the Dining Hall door swinging shut behind him.

“An interesting fellow, that Kimura.” Uma commented.

Dewa snorted. “Yeah, that’s one way of putting it.”

“Indeed.” Uma nodded, then turned to Fuji. “Anyways, I have a request of you, Fuji!”

“Oh?” That made Fuji cock his brow. “What is it?”

“I believe you should let me explore with you! I think you and Dewa are fine friends to be making, and I think you could benefit from my keen eye!” Uma winked, a pen suddenly in her hand. She tapped on her cheek and smiled. “So, what say you? Yay or nay?”

“Sure. I think it’d be fun to have you with us.” Fuji smiled back.

“Yes!” Uma pumped her fist. “A terrific trio! Not as classic as a dynamic duo, but effective and powerful nonetheless!” She nodded intently. “Very well! Lead the way!”

Dewa didn’t say anything, simply smirking and raising his brow. Fuji sighed and motioned for the two to follow. The group of three exited the Dining Hall, and began their investigation of the Ultimate Cruise Liner.

* * *

 

“What are you two doing over here?” Uma asked, bouncing up to the two figures on the bow of the ship. Fuji and Dewa weren’t far behind.

The two figures turned out to be Sasabe and Kuno, an interesting pair to be hanging out. Sasabe had a hand over her eyes, and she stood on her tiptoes, with a hand on the railing. Kuno stood at her side, staring blankly in a different direction. She glanced over at the three when they approached.

“We’re just seeing if we can find any landmarks.” Kuno commented.

“Landmarks?” Uma asked.

“Yup!” Sasabe followed up. “I had a super helpful idea, and Kuri here was with me, and we talked about it!” She turned around and grinned, prompting Kuno to snort.

“Don’t call me any dumb nicknames. It’s not cute.”

“Aw, really?!” Sasabe gasped in disbelief. “But a cute girl like you needs a cute nickname!”

Dewa was silent, but he shot Fuji a look that clearly expressed how much he didn’t want to go down this route of conversation.

“H-Hey, Sasabe.” Fuji began, prompting the Ultimate Spearfisher to look at him, her head cocked. He cleared his throat before continuing. “What, uh… what was the thought you two had?”

“Weeeeeell...” Sasabe glanced up in thought, tapping her chin. “See… I’ve been out to sea a lot, since it’s super hard to stab fish from shore. And I was thinking… well, even if we’re out in the middle of the ocean… there might be something in the waters I recognize!”

“And I was on planes a lot as a kid.” Kuno commented, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “So we decided to look around for anything notable.”

“Together!” Sasabe giggled, moving to reach an arm around Kuno. Her attempt at affection was quickly rebuffed by the girl in question, prompting a whine. “Kuri! I thought we had something!”

“Did you actually _find_ anything?” Dewa asked, already edging away.

“Nope.” Kuno replied.

“We’re out in the middle of nowhere!” Sasabe proudly proclaimed.

“I could have told you that.” Dewa scoffed.

“So it appears we’ve learned nothing more than what we started with.” Uma summarized, pursing her lips. She scribbled something down on her notepad anyway.

“Wait!” Sasabe said suddenly. “Wait, I just remembered something that I saw!” She grinned. “C’mere!” She motioned wildly, beckoning them towards the railing. Kuno simply shook her head.

“...I’ll stay back here.” Dewa said.

“Boo.” Sasabe pouted. “No fun.”

“Well _I’m_ curious.” Uma said, trotting up. After a bit of deliberation, Fuji shuffled up as well.

Once they were up at the railing, Sasabe leaned over and pointed, for some reason, straight down. Uma immediately glanced down, and Fuji grabbed onto his glasses before peeking down as well. He saw… water. Just the blue of the ocean, sloshing gently against the hull of the ship and nothing else.

“See?” Sasabe asked. “Isn’t it weird?”

“...huh?” Fuji asked. “What… what am I supposed to be seeing?”

“You don’t get it?” Sasabe asked from behind him.

“Hmm...” Uma hummed. Suddenly, she gasped. “Oh! The ship isn’t moving!”

“Yeah!” Sasabe agreed, clearly proud at her discovery.

Fuji frowned, then glanced back down at the water. Now that it was mentioned… yeah, it looked like the water wasn’t… moving. It was just a gentle slosh against the Ultimate Cruise Liner, rather than any sort of movement that might indicate the ship was going forward. No foam or waves. And now that it was brought up, there wasn’t any wind or sea spray or anything that might indicate movement either.

“...yeah, you’re right.” Fuji commented.

“Eyup!” Sasabe said. “Sasabe is never wrong, mmm hmm.”

“...so what?” Dewa asked. “What does that mean?”

“It means...” Fuji began, then trailed off. What did it mean?

“It means that we’re supposed to stay here.” Kuno said, having gone back to looking at the horizon. “Our captors want to keep us right here, in the middle of the ocean.”

“Suppose that makes sense.” Sasabe commented.

“Very interesting.” Uma noted.

Fuji didn’t say anything, glancing up at the horizon as well. So… they really were being held here against their will. But why? Just to force them to kill each other? Things weren’t adding up. What did Monokuma get out of this?

* * *

 

As the three walked back to the Hotel, there was a commotion that caught their ears. It sounded like grunting and heaving, the groaning of metal, and panting for breath. Fuji, Dewa, and Uma wordlessly changed course, running over to the port side of the ship to see what was going on.

Once there, Fuji saw something that didn’t make much sense. Ikari and Jitsuko were there, standing at what appeared to be an apparatus for holding a lifeboat. However… there was no lifeboat. Instead, there was part of the railing that had been removed. In its place, attached to the lifeboat station, was… a cage elevator. It appeared wholly normal, aside from the fact that it was attached to the side of the ship. It had two doors, one facing the hole in the railing, and one on the opposite wall of the elevator, facing the ocean.

Jitsuko and Ikari stood at the front, both holding a braced stance. Jitsuko had her hands on the actual door of the cage elevator, while Ikari was gripping the bars next to it. The two seemed to be pulling with all their might, attempting to get the door open. Esumi stood off to the side, looking on with concern. The elevator was groaning, no doubt from the intense stress of being pulled at by both the Ultimate Kickboxer and the Ultimate Bicyclist. However, the door didn’t seem to budge a single inch.

“What the hell is this?” Dewa asked.

His voice prompted a surprised ‘oh!’ from Ikari, and he let the elevator go and took a few stumbling steps back. Jitsuko grunted as the elevator visibly lurched towards her, now that it didn’t have Ikari pulling back, and was forced to let go. The elevator swung in place for a moment before settling. The bars of the door were bent slightly, but otherwise seemed to be undamaged.

“Fuck.” Jitsuko said.

“Hey guys.” Ikari greeted, panting. “The... three of us... found this… elevator attached… here. Whooh.” He put his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. “Tried to… get it open… it’s real stuck though...”

“Was goin’ fine… ‘til they interrupted...” Jitsuko said, clearly annoyed. Her chest swelled as she took a large breath, then spat a glob of saliva over the edge of the ship.

“An elevator?” Uma asked. “Was this here before?”

“Definitely not.” Jitsuko said, adjusting her hat and crossing her arms. “Esumi and I were hanging out around here during introductions, and this wasn’t here before.”

Esumi waved at Fuji, then signed at him. _‘There are three more lifeboat stations.’_ She pointed towards the opposite end of the ship. Fuji put a hand over his eyes and squinted. Sure enough, there was another lifeboat station directly across from them. This one seemed to actually be holding a lifeboat, however.

“What would this even be for?” Dewa asked, putting his hands on his hips.

“That’s what… we were tryna figure out…” Ikari said, finally seeming to catch his breath. He stretched his back before continuing. “We guessed that if we could get in, then maybe we could figure out what it does!”

“Oh, you’ll figure out alright!” A sudden voice said. The six turned around, finding Monokuma standing there. He looked about as pissed as a stuffed animal could be, a slight red glow coming from underneath his face.

“Did you do this?” Fuji asked.

“Well, of course!” That somehow seemed to chill Monokuma out. He puffed out his chest and his grin stretched. “This is a feat of engineering that only a bear could pull off!”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Jitsuko snorted.

“Hey! It makes complete sense!” Monokuma protested. He then turned red again. “You know what really doesn’t make sense? The fact that you brats are already breaking the rules!”

“Huh?” Uma asked. She cocked her head. “A broken rule already?” She tapped at her lips with a pen.

“Yes! Yes, a broken rule!” Monokuma snarled. “How can you not call this a broken rule?!” He waddled up to the elevator and motioned at the slightly bent bars. The six of them stared blankly at them, before Fuji spoke up.

“...the ‘no damage to the Ultimate Cruise Liner’ rule?” he asked.

“Yes!” Monokuma snapped.

“...are you joking?” Jitsuko asked.

“That’s barely anything.” Dewa commented.

“It’s really not that bad...” Ikari said, squinting at the slightly bent bars.

Esumi shrugged.

“Ugh!” Monokuma threw up his hands. “The youth of today! So insolent!” He snarled again, flicking one of his paws. Fuji jumped in surprise as some very real looking claws emerged from them. “I’ll let you guys off with a warning this time, since the damage isn’t severe, but you better remember this act of kindness! Your Captain won’t be so merciful next time!”

Before any of them could protest, Monokuma was gone, leaving them to think about the exchange that had just happened.

“Jeez.” Jitsuko shook her head. “What a waste of time.”

“Dang.” Ikari sighed. “Oh well. I’m sure there’s something else we can do.”

“...right.” Dewa said.

“We should get going.” Uma commented, glancing at Fuji. He could only respond with a nod.

* * *

 

“So this is what this place is.” Dewa said.

After departing from the cage elevator, they had found Amami and Honda talking to Monokuma outside of the two buildings. They had only caught the tail end of the conversation, with Monokuma assuring them that the buildings were completely safe. He looked like he was going to continue, but then he saw Fuji, Dewa, and Uma. Monokuma then let out a childish huff, stuck up his nose, and marched away. The group of five then made their way into the Ultimate Adventurer Lab.

To be honest, it was one of the more interesting rooms on the ship. It was small, yet cozy, with wood paneled walls and a carpeted floor. There was a large desk that faced the door, with plenty of drawers, made of lacquered oak accompanied by a plush swivel chair. One side of the desk held a fancy globe, while the other featured a sewing machine. Behind the desk was a massive map that spanned the entirety of the wall there, with a variety of pins poked into its surface, accompanied by small, handwritten notes. To the right of the desk were two bookshelves pushed up against the walls.

“Interesting.” Honda noted.

“Sure is really nice...” Amami noted, wandering over to the desk. Honda and Uma had already made their way over to the bookshelves, while Dewa busied himself with the swivel chair.

“Fuji, check this out.” Dewa said. Fuji glanced over, cracking a grin at how far Dewa sunk into the chair’s cushions. “This is crazy soft.”

“Sure looks like it.” Fuji replied. There was a sound behind him, and Fuji glanced over to see Amami rifling through some of the drawers. Fuji caught sight of what looked like passports, as well as a bunch of papers. In another drawer was a bunch of fabric and thread, likely for the sewing machine.

“How comprehensive!” Uma shouted, looking over the bookshelves with adoring eyes. “So many informative volumes! What I would have given to have a collection like this a couple years ago!”

“Indeed...” Honda mused. “This is quite the plethora of information.”

“Hey, Amami.” Dewa said. When Fuji glanced at him, he had swiveled the chair around, staring at the massive map. “What’s with all these pins and notes?”

“Huh?” Amami stopped digging through the desk, glancing at the map as though he hadn’t even noticed it. “I… don’t know.” He took a step towards it, narrowing his eyes. Fuji shuffled up as well, looking at a pin that was about eye level for him. It listed a city in India, and had a small note indicating a date and what seemed to be a list of souvenirs to buy.

“...hold on.” Fuji said. “Are these...”

“Yeah.” Amami said. He took a step back from the map, frowning. “This is… this is definitely strange.”

“Why?” Dewa asked.

“All of these pins and notes...” Amami began. “They’re all from adventures I’ve taken.”

“...what?” That actually made Dewa sit up, squinting at the pins and notes. “But… you’ve never talked to Monokuma before, right?”

“Yeah.” Amami furrowed his brow. “So then… how did he know about my previous adventures?”

“...good question.” Fuji murmured. “It seems like there’s more to this than we realized...”

They spent a few more minutes looking around Amami’s lab, but didn’t find anything that wasn’t immediately obvious. It didn’t seem like the building was harboring any secret passageways or anything like it. The decision was then made to check out Honda’s lab as well, since Honda was willing and they were all there anyways.

Honda’s lab was definitely bigger than Amami’s. Upon entry, Fuji was treated to the sight of a large stage at the far end of the room, a velvet curtain hanging down and blocking off the back half of the stage. There was an array of seats in front of the stage, big enough for a small crowd. There were large speakers flanking the stage, and a complicated lighting rig attached to the ceiling. The lighting rig also featured a large projector hanging from the center of the ceiling. On the stage was a wooden podium, complete with a microphone.

“Interesting.” Honda remarked, immediately moving towards the stage.

“Wow, it’s big!” Uma noted, staring straight up at the lighting rig. “Amami, you must be so jealous!”

“Not really.” Amami laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s spacious, sure, but my lab is cozier.”

“So true, so true.” Uma nodded, moving to scribble something down in her notepad.

“Nice place.” Dewa remarked, glancing at Fuji. “Whatcha think?”

“...it’s pretty cool.” Fuji replied, focusing on the speakers. They were huge, easily taller than Jitsuko. What did anybody need such large speakers for? Honestly, Fuji figured that Honda’s voice was powerful enough _without_ the speakers.

“Yeah.” Dewa put his hands on his hips. “Can’t wait to find _my_ lab.”

“...same here.” Fuji replied. He wondered what would be in his lab. Some sort of never before seen antiques? _That_ would be really cool, even if it meant that they were probably stolen by Monokuma just to put in his lab. Still… at least then he’d be able to protect them…

Fuji’s thoughts were cut off by a whirring sound, and he, alongside Uma, Dewa, and Amami, stood and watched as the velvet curtain began slowly split down the middle, revealing itself to actually be two curtains, and started to slide away from each other. The four stood silently as the curtains parted, revealing the ‘backstage’ area of the stage.

Honda was standing at a panel on the wall, rubbing at his chin. He glanced at them as the curtain finished opening, and shot the group a curt wave.

“I found the controls.” He told them.

“Cool!” Uma quickly scampered up onto the stage. Dewa shrugged at Fuji, then followed, leaving Fuji and Amami on the floor.

“Might as well check it out, yeah?” Amami asked. Fuji just nodded, and the two made their way up onto the stage as well.

True to Honda’s word, the panel on the wall seemed to control everything attached to the rig, which consisted of the speakers, the lights, the curtains, and the projector, as well as a supposed screen. Uma was standing at the podium, grinning at Dewa, who was standing next to her with his arms crossed.

Honda himself stood next to a plastic storage bin on the floor, looking down into it. Next to it was a variety of other materials. When Fuji approached, he got a look into the bin, as well as a glimpse of the other objects. The bin had something folded up at the bottom, with some microphones with built in cords on top of it. There were also a couple megaphones mixed in. Next to the bin was a set of microphone stands, as well as some back up podiums.

“As much as I hate to give him credit,” Honda began, “Monokuma has this place rather appropriately furnished. And this set up he has going on here couldn’t possibly have been cheap.”

“Yeah...” Amami commented, crossing his arms. “These labs seem to be pretty well stocked, and were definitely built with us using our talents in mind.”

“Which begs the question.” Honda continued. “Why? Why spend the resources on places like our labs if they’re just going to force us to kill each other?”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing myself.” Fuji said, frowning. “But I can’t think of an answer. There’s no reason for them to do all of these accommodations for us, and then just get us to kill each other.”

“Maybe there is no greater reason.” Amami offered. “A lot of things in the world don’t make sense.”

“...Maybe.” Honda snorted. “What an unsatisfying answer, though.”

* * *

 

“Do you hear that?” Uma asked.

“Hear what?” Dewa asked. Fuji stopped as well, glancing at her with his hand on the door to the Hotel.

The three of them had finished up at Amami and Honda’s labs, not finding anything of note there. The labs themselves raised more questions than they answered, and without any more reason to stick around, they had decided to leave. They were on their way back inside before Uma stopped them.

“I don’t hear anything.” Fuji said.

“You sure you heard somethin’?” Dewa asked, hands on his hips.

“A reporter’s ears are even keen, attuned to the sounds of a potential scoop.” Uma told him, tapping her ear with a pen. “And I hear… a lead.” She pointed past Fuji, towards what looked like the alleyway to the Navigation Building.

“God, don’t tell me-” Dewa began.

Before he could finish, Uma scampered off, heading into the alleyway and disappearing. Dewa swore under his breath and jogged after her, leaving Fuji alone, his hand still on the handle. He stared blankly at the door for a few moments before sighing and following after Uma and Dewa.

As he jogged down the alley, the sounds of conversation became more apparent. To his surprise, he could hear more than two people talking, which meant that Uma really had heard something.

“I still don’t see the reason you’ve dragged me back here.” Goto remarked.

“...well, I didn’t want to look at this alone.” Chujo replied. “Don’t you think it’s a little creepy?” Goto’s response was a sigh.

“Why are you even back here in the first place?” Dewa asked.

“Oh hey, a gatling gun! Wow!” Uma exclaimed.

Well then.

Fuji finished his trip over to the Navigation Building, getting a look at the four he’d heard, finding them gathered around the door. Uma was fawning over the gatling gun, with Goto standing behind her, a scowl on his face. Dewa had a hand on her shoulder, but was facing at Chujo, who stood just to the side of the gun barrel.

“God damn it, be careful.” Dewa said, tightening his grip on Uma’s shoulder.

“But I’m curious!” Uma cried. “I want to inspect it! I suspect the gun itself is linked to the opening of the door, so I’d like to at least check to see if I’m in the ballpark!”

“You _could_ be wrong.” Goto snapped, crossing his arms. “And then we’re down somebody because you couldn’t get your fix.”

“Aww! But I swear I won’t touch it!” Uma cried.

“Hey Fuji.” Chujo greeted.

“Uh… hi.” Fuji replied. He glanced around. “What, uh… what’s happening?”

“This girl wants to get torn into by this gatling gun.” Goto snorted.

“Not true.” Uma pouted. “I just want to check the door out. That’s all.”

“Would you kids quit it with the door?!” A high pitched voice snapped. The five turned to the side to see Monokuma there, fuming. “All day, it’s one of you at the Navigation Building door! ‘How do I get in?’, ‘How do I open the door?’, blah blah blah! I’m tired of it!”

“...then why’d you lock it?” Dewa asked.

“Because it’s not time to be in there yet! Didn’t your parents teach you anything?!” Monokuma yelled. “If something’s locked, you don’t try to get in!”

“We’re not supposed to go in yet?” Goto asked. “What does _that_ mean?”

“It means DON’T MESS WITH THE DOOR!” Monokuma shouted. “I mean it! I’m tired of people coming up to this door and asking to be let in! You’ll get in when you get in! Sheesh, you kids are such a handfull.” And with that, Monokuma was gone.

“...huh.” Uma said. “Guess he doesn’t want us inside yet.”

“What gave you that idea?” Dewa snorted.

“Well, if that’s all there is to this,” Goto began, brushing off his shirt and moving to walk away. “I suppose there’s nothing back here for us. Goodbye.”

“See ya.” Chujo said as Goto left.

“...jeez.” Dewa said.

“Well then!” Uma replied, pushing Dewa’s hand off of her shoulder. “I think that’s that! Let’s see what everybody else found!”

“Oh, are we meeting up?” Chujo asked, yawning. “Guess I’d better go then...” He plodded off, Fuji watching him go, lips pressed together. He didn’t want to be mean, but… Chujo didn’t seem the most… ‘up to date’ person.

“Sheesh.” Dewa sighed, shaking his head. “Well, I can’t really think of anywhere else to look, considering me and Fuji looked around inside a lot before we came out here in the first place. Can’t imagine there was much we missed.”

“Hmm…” Fuji frowned, rubbing at his chin. “I think it might be a good idea to look around a bit inside, actually.”

“Shit, really?” Dewa asked.

“Mmhmm.” Fuji nodded. “One of the others might have found something we missed. Wouldn’t hurt to do another once over anyways.”

“Good idea!” Uma proclaimed. She looked like she was about to say something else, her mouth open and her hand raised as though she were making a point. However, nothing came out for a few seconds. Then, she said a single word. “Huh.”

“What’s wrong?” Fuji asked, frowning in concern.

“...” Uma was quiet for a few moments, then shook her head. “Nothing. I just thought something was weird, but it’s not important right now.”

“You’re really not gonna tell us?” Dewa’s lack of amusement was clear.

“Nope!” Uma quickly bounced back from her contemplation, grinning. “You’ll have to wait for the full report! No suspense for the story otherwise!” She proclaimed, then started marching off. “C’mon, we’re burning daylight!”

“...sheesh.” Dewa sighed, turning to Fuji. He looked like he was searching for something to say, staring intently and pressing his lips together, before simply shrugging and turning to follow Uma.

Fuji found himself alone for a moment. He turned, staring at the looming form of the Navigation Building. A red light on the radio tower winked at him. Fuji sighed, turned around, and followed the others.

* * *

 

“Hmmmmm.” Kimura hummed, one hand to his chin and the other on his hip. He had his lips pursed almost comically, and was leaning forward at an angle far too deep to be serious. Beside him stood Tadamori, clearly exasperated.

“Please,” she said, the tone in her voice nearing pleading, “take this seriously.”

Dewa remained silent as they approached the pair, and Fuji could tell that he really didn’t want to interact with neither Kimura nor Tadamori. But they were clearly checking something out, and Uma had already blown any cover they might have had by trotting up next to Kimura and leaning forward as well.

“Hmm.” Uma echoed, narrowing her eyes, her notepad and a pen in hand. “What are we looking at?”

“...not sure.” Kimura replied.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Tadamori threw up her hands.

Fuji felt his shoulders slump, a nervous chuckle emerging from his mouth. Tadamori and Kimura were in the small area at the top of the staircase in the Hotel, with all of the locked rooms, which is where he, Dewa, and Uma found them. The five of them stood at one of the doors itself, one that Kimura and Tadamori had been standing at when they got there. They were in the longer hallway directly opposite the stairs.

Now that he was actually looking at the layout, Fuji could see that there were eight rooms in this hallway, four on each side and none at the end of the hall. Each door had what appeared to be a scanner directly to its right, complete with a glowing red light, as well as a small wall mounted lamp above said scanner. And above the door was…

“Is that a name plate?” Fuji asked. The other four looked up, and everybody read what the strip of metal mounted above the door read:

‘ _T. Tadamori’_

“Oh.” Kimura said. “Must be for you, Tadamori!” Without missing a beat, he reached forward and grabbed the handle. However, when he tried to open the door, the handle clacked.

“The hell are you doin’, you little brat?!” Tadamori snapped, lurching forward and smacking Kimura’s hand away.

“Ow!” Kimura yelped. “I was just checking to see if it was open...”

“Don’t be touching shit that has my name on it.” Tadamori growled, her lip curling up into a sneer.

“But if it’s locked...” Uma mused, “how do you get in?”

“I can answer that!” A sudden voice announced. The five turned to see Monotaro there, waving at them as he waddled up. “It’s actually really quite simple!”

“Well explain it then.” Tadamori said sharply, keeping herself between Kimura and the door.

“Okay!” Monotaro nodded. “Basically, whoever this room belongs to just needs to swipe the back of their Monopad against the scanner next to the door! Then the door will unlock and you can head inside.” He glanced up at the scanner. “However, each scanner only responds to the Monopad of the room’s owner. And as you remember from the rules, trading Monopads is forbidden! Also, your rooms are all personalized! Any questions?”

“...I do.” Fuji began. “Where did these even come from?” He held up his Monopad, waving it around a bit. “I think they’re kind of strange.”

“U-Uh… w-well...” Monotaro looked nervous, then cleared his throat. He appeared to start… sweating, despite his plush appearance. “I uh… meant any questions about the rooms.” The five were silent, staring down at the half-red bear. He continued to sweat under their stares for a few moments before Monotaro nodded. “A-Alright! W-Well then! I… I uh… s-suppose I’ll get going then!” And then he was gone, scurrying down the hall and rounding the corner, disappearing.

“Freak.” Tadamori said.

“Interesting.” Kimura said, brow raised slightly. “Very interesting...”

“Yes, well, I’m interested in what your room looks like, Tadamori!” Uma chimed in. “Will you permit our entry?”

“...” She glanced at Fuji, then over to Dewa and Kimura. “...Only you and Fuji. The other two need to wait out here.”

“Boo.” Kimura pouted, crossing his arms. “I’m being excluded.”

“Ugh.” Dewa rolled his eyes.

“Hey! A woman’s bedroom is sacred!” Tadamori snapped. “I’m not just gonna let in every shmuck that wants access. I’m not _that_ easy!”

“...that?” Uma asked.

“Whatever. I’ll wait out here.” Dewa let out an exasperated breath.

“Well _I’m_ not gonna take this standing up.” Kimura said. “I’m outta here! I’ll find my own room, and I won’t let any of _you_ in. So there.” He stuck his tongue out.

“I believe the phrase is ‘I won’t take this sitting down’.” Uma told him.

“Isn’t it ‘lying down’?” Dewa asked.

“Shut up! Shut! Up!” Tadamori snapped. “Just leave if you’re going to leave, so I don’t have to hear your stupid voice!” She jabbed a finger at Kimura, who let out a childish huff before stomping off. Tadamori glared at him as he marched away, then sneered at Dewa. “Stay out here.”

“I was planning on it.” He bit back.

Tadamori continued to glare before grunting. She pulled her Monopad out of her jacket and swiped the piece of red glass over the scanner. There was a moment of pause, then the scanner’s light turned green with a beep, and there was a ‘CLACK!’ as the door unlocked. Without a moment’s hesitation, Tadamori headed inside, quickly followed by Uma.

Fuji took the opportunity to look over at Dewa, who caught his eye and sighed. “I dunno man.” Dewa said, shrugging. “Just go on ahead and check it out. I’ll be out here just in case.”

“Alright. I’ll make sure it’s quick.” Fuji offered Dewa a small smile before heading into Tadamori’s room.

Tadamori’s room was… definitely a room. There was a simple bed with dark purple sheets, which Uma was currently sitting on and glancing around. Against the far wall was a desk, which had a large mirror with lights, as well as what looked like a jewelry box and some make up. There were two doors, surprisingly, one to his left and one to his right, as well as a closet that Tadamori was currently standing at. There was also… what appeared to be a monitor mounted on an arm near the door. Next to it was a camera similar to the one that was in the Dining Hall earlier, red light blinking ominously. Fuji shuddered.

“What the fuck?!” Tadamori yelled, pulling out a jacket that looked identical to her current one from her closet. “What the fuck?!”

“What’s the matter?” Uma asked.

“They’re all the same!” She shouted, throwing the jacket at Uma. The Ultimate Reporter let out a surprised sound as she caught the jacket just before it hit her in the face. Fuji watched curiously as Tadamori then pulled another identical jacket out of her closet, and then _another_ , so that she had one in each hand.

“Woah.” Uma said.

“It’s not even just the jacket!” Tadamori continued, voice raised in volume, as she again threw the jackets at Uma. Fuji watched in a mixture of surprise and slight horror as Tadamori proceeded to throw three copies of her current outfit onto the bed, as well as an extra pair of her boots. This resulted in Uma being in the middle of a mound of Tadamori’s clothes, which didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. “Down to my fuckin’ panties!” She screeched, reaching into her closet. Fuji immediately 180’d and covered his face with his hands before he could catch a glimpse of Tadamori’s underwear.

“How strange.” Uma remarked. “They even want our outfits consistent. What do they gain from that?”

“U-Um...” Fuji said. “T-Tadamori can you… uh… put those away?”

“Huh?” Tadamori asked. “...what, you never seen a girl’s panties before?”

“Weren’t you the one saying that a ‘woman’s room is sacred’?” Uma asked.

“...hmph.” Tadamori snorted, and Fuji heard some rustling and figured it was safe to turn around. He was greeted with Tadamori back facing her closet, much to his relief. She sighed and glanced back at Uma. “I wonder what’s up with the other doors, though.” Tadamori jerked a hand over her shoulder, pointing a hand at one of the two doors.

“I-CAN-ANSWER-THAT.” A robotic voice said.

“Uuuuuugh.” Tadamori threw her head back and groaned.

“WHICH-DOOR-WOULD-YOU-LIKE-ME-TO-EXPLAIN-FIRST?” Monodam asked, suddenly at Fuji’s side. Fuji jumped a bit, moving to the side so he didn’t come into contact with the half green bear.

“Who cares?” Tadamori threw her hands up. “How the hell do you guys keep doing that?”

“That one.” Uma pointed to the door to Fuji’s right.

“SIMPLE. THAT-IS-THE-BATHROOM.” Monodam explained. “ALL-BATHROOMS-CONTAIN-A-SHOWER-A-SINK-AND-A-TOILET. BASIC-AMENITIES-ARE-AVAILABLE-AND-CAN-BE-RESTOCKED-ON-REQUEST.”

“I see.” Uma nodded.

“So… then what’s the other one?” Fuji asked. “Is it another closet?”

“NO.” Monodam said, shaking his head. “IT-IS-A-CONNECTING-HALLWAY.”

“...connecting?” Uma asked. “There’s a secondary hallway not visible from the main one?”

“To _what_?” Tadamori asked. “What the fuck could it possibly connect to?”

“...” Fuji thought about it for a second. The ‘connecting hallway’ was on the left wall of Tadamori’s room. Tadamori’s room was on the right side of the hallway, the first door after the intersection. So, if he had to guess… “Does it… connect to the next room?”

“CORRECT.” Monodam said.

“WHAT?!” Tadamori screeched. “Who the _fuck_ is my room connected to?! And why the fuck?!”

“YOUR-ROOMMATE-IS-HONDA-TSUMOTO.” Monodam informed her. “AND-EVERYBODY-HAS-ROOMMATES. EVERY-STUDENT-IS-A-PART-OF-A-PAIR. THERE-ARE-NO-TRIOS-OR-SINGLES.”

“Are the rooms… lockable?” Fuji asked. “Like… can the connecting hall be locked?”

“NEGATIVE.” Monodam responded.

“But why?” Uma asked, scratching her cheek. “If we play by your rules and somebody commits a murder during the night, then the obvious suspect is the person who has unconditional access to the other person’s room.”

“...I-AM-AFRAID-I-CANNOT-ANSWER-THAT-QUESTION.” Monodam told her. “IF-YOU-DON’T-HAVE-ANY-MORE-QUESTIONS-I-SHALL-TAKE-MY-LEAVE.”

“Wait!” Tadamori snapped, voice shrill.

Before anybody could stop him, Monodam scuttled away, through the connecting hall. Fuji moved to make chase as Monodam slammed the door behind him. However, when Fuji threw the door to the connecting hall open… Monodam was gone.

The hall itself was simple, just a small passage, barely big enough for somebody like Jitsuko or Ikari. The floor had black carpet, and there was a single light bulb mounted on the ceiling, a switch to the side to turn it on. Fuji blinked, noting that there wasn’t anywhere besides Honda’s supposed room that Monodam could have fled to. And Fuji sincerely doubted he went that way.

“What the fuck, a connecting hallway.” Tadamori was murmuring when Fuji returned. “What the hell?...” Uma was next to her, finally having emerged from her cocoon of Tadamori’s clothes.

“There there.” Uma said, attempting to be comforting by patting the Ultimate Personal Reformist’s shoulder. “We all have them, apparently.”

“...that doesn’t make me feel better, fuck face.” Tadamori said.

“Sorry, it’s all I have.” Uma shrugged.

“...whatever.”

“Uh… hrm...” Fuji cleared his throat, causing both girls to look up at him. “I think… I’m gonna go. I’m sorry about the stress of the… hallway, Tadamori.”

“Whatever.” She sighed. “I’m just gonna stay here and… I dunno, put my clothes away.”

“Good idea.” Uma said, nodding. “Fuji and I shall take our leave, and continue this investigation.”

“Sure.” Tadamori waved them away.

Fuji shot her one last worried look before turning away and opening the door. The hallway was just as he’d left it. Dewa was nearby, scrolling through his Monopad with a furrowed brow. At the sound of the door clicking open, he glanced over.

“Sup.” He greeted. “What took you two so long? And how’d you keep Tadamori so quiet?”

“...huh?” Fuji asked. Uma darted past him, adjusting her fedora once she was in the hall, and Fuji took the opportunity to close the door behind him.

“Seconding Fuji’s confusion.” Uma said, scribbling something on her notepad. “Tadamori was quite loud for the duration of our discussion inside.”

“...you sure?” Dewa asked. “I feel like I would have heard her.”

“You didn’t?” Fuji asked. “But I’m certain we weren’t quiet.”

“Ah! Simple answer!” Uma chimed in, grinning. “The rooms must be soundproofed. It would make sense given what we know about our situation.”

“...I guess.” Dewa frowned. “Why soundproof them though?”

“ _That_ is a query I _don’t_ have an answer for.” Uma said with a shrug. “Perhaps… for privacy?”

“No way.” Dewa said, crossing his arms. “They don’t care about us that much.”

“Maybe...” Fuji said, attempting to think of an answer. And then it hit him. “I-If a murder is committed in one of the rooms...”

“...then nobody outside can hear it.” Uma finished, nodding. “I believe that makes sense, as morbid as it is.”

“...that’s fucked up.” Dewa said. Fuji could only nod in agreement.

* * *

 

Personally, Fuji hadn’t been more than middle of the road in school. He got average marks in his classes, usually not scoring higher than an 80 on any of his tests, while still not failing. So the fact that the Ultimate Cruise Liner had classrooms, for some odd reason, wasn’t much more than an offhanded curiosity for him. And yet, he’d never thought that somebody here on the ship would have been quite as excited about a souped up classroom as he was seeing right now.

Well… maybe excited was a bit of a strong word for how she was acting.

“Oh...” Hiramoto said softly, marveling at the facilities available to her in the Ultimate Tutor Lab.

The Lab itself seemed to be a good bit larger than the regular classrooms in size. There were fifteen desks arranged in three rows of five, pointed towards the wall of the room opposite the door. There was an electronic whiteboard mounted there on the center of the wall, and there was a traditional blackboard mounted on a rig that appeared to allow it to slide in front of the whiteboard. There was also a large, polished wooden desk that with a filing cabinet on either side. There was a small laptop and a basket on the desk, and a projector hanging over the desks, pointed at the whiteboards. To the door’s left was a large window, overlooking the gently rolling ocean.

“H-How wonderful...” Hiramoto said, standing at the desk and gingerly flipping through the contents of the basket. Fuji himself was standing near Hiramoto at the front of the room, also looking at what the Ultimate Tutor Lab had to offer.

Uma, Diana, and Dewa had taken a seat at the desks, each doing their own thing. Uma was scribbling in her notepad, glancing up every once in a while. Dewa had his arms crossed and his feet up on the desk, his head bobbing as though he was about to fall asleep. And Diana was sitting there, head propped up on her elbows, staring intently in Fuji and Hiramoto’s direction.

Fuji peeked forward, looking at what was in the basket. A bunch of movies it seemed. Probably for use in the computer...

Wait, a computer?!

“Hey, uh, Hiramoto.” Fuji began. The girl in question went rigid for a moment upon being addressed, before looking over at him. Fuji looked away for a moment, feeling awkward. The way she looked at him made Fuji feel like he was doing something wrong. “Mind if I take a look at this computer?”

“...B-By all means, g-go… go ahead.” Hiramoto nodded. She opened her mouth again, as if to continue, then drew her arms to her chest.

“Uh...” Fuji said. “Did you uh… already figure something out? About it?”

“W-Well, I...” Hiramoto looked downwards, her curtain of hair falling around her. “S-See I… I… w-well, I thought that… that th-the um… computer. Might have, um… b-been able to… uh...” She clenched her eyes shut, swallowing thickly. “H-Help us. M-Mayb-be. B-But… th-there’s n-no… no internet. C-Connection, th-that is… And… there’s nothing. On it. U-Uh, pr-rogram wise. E-Except for th-the one needed to… y-you know. W-Watch these… uh, movies.” Hiramoto opened her eyes and shot Fuji a timid look. “S-So… I d-don’t… um, think. That it’ll help us.” She glanced away. “S-Sorry...”

“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Fuji said, smiling awkwardly. “I figured it might be like that anyway. So no reason to check if you already have.”

Hiramoto just weakly nodded, shuffling slightly and receding a bit more into her hair. She spent a few seconds twirling her hair around her fingers, lips pursed and eyes cast to the side. Fuji himself glanced up at the ceiling, not sure of what else to do here.

“Heya!” Diana said, the Ultimate Street Performer suddenly at their side. “I saw Fuji talking to you, and I didn’t wanna let him have all the fun.”

“O-Oh...” Hiramoto said, glancing up slightly. “W-Well… I… i-it w-wasn’t… much. That we were t-talking about, I-I mean...”

“Damn, that sucks.” Diana said, hopping up a bit so she could sit on the desk. Funnily enough, that actually put the Diana closer to Hiramoto’s eye level, though she was still a good way’s away. “Well, maybe you can, like, tell me about all your cool teaching stuff.” Her eyes lit up, and she excitedly pulled her arms to her chest, bouncing a bit. “You’re really good at teaching, right? Could you show me how to fly a plane?!”

“W-Well...” Hiramoto said, her head sinking a little in embarrassment. “I… I c-can’t really… _show_ you how… b-but I s-suppose if I… y-you know… s-studied a bit a-and… and um… you know. Planned. If I p-planned it out I’m s-sure I could t-teach you the b-basics… i-in case you ever… d-did find a plane. To fly.”

“That’s so cool.” Diana gushed, leaning forward. “You’re so smart.”

Hiramoto blushed behind her hair, pulling it in front of her face a little more. “I-It’s… n-not much...”

Fuji suddenly felt like he was in the middle of something, so he cleared his throat, which caused the two girls to look at him. “Hey uh… I’m gonna go. I don’t think there’s anything here that I need to investigate, so...”

“Good idea.” Diana said, eyes gleaming.

Fuji swallowed. If he wasn’t interrupting something before, he definitely was now.

“O-Okay.” Hiramoto nodded. “U-Um… w-we’ll head b-by. When we’re done. H-Head by the d-dining hall, I… I meant.”

“Sounds good.” Fuji replied. “I’ll uh… see you guys later.”

“See ya!” Diana said curtly, before turning back to Hiramoto. “So, like, are you good at teaching everything, or do you have more fun with certain things? Personally, I like sports stuff, but I already know a lot about that, so like, I was wondering how much you’d know about, like...”

As Diana began chattering, Fuji slipped away, making his way over to his two companions at their desks. Now that he was closer, he could see that Dewa was definitely snoozing, his bobbing having stopped. Instead, his chest was raising and lowering in a small, steady rhythm, and every other breath, he’d let out a quiet snore.

Uma, on the other hand, was staring at her notepad, lips pursed. Fuji decided that it’d probably be best to speak with her before he proposed heading out.

“Hey, Uma.” Fuji spoke up, voice low. She instantly snapped back to reality, her eyes snapping onto his face.

“Good evening.” Uma said, smiling. “Did you find anything useful?”

“...nah, not really.” Fuji rubbed the back of his neck. “But uh… it seemed like you were thinking about something. Maybe something important?”

“Indeed.” Uma nodded, somewhat gravely, and sighed. “I have a question for you, Fuji.” She said. “Ignore the sixteen of us, and ignore Monokuma and his Deckhands. Have you seen any signs of life?”

“...uh.” Fuji blinked and looked away. Now that she brought it up… “...no. Not really, no.”

“Neither have I.” She said. “I find it strange that a cruise liner such as this, one so well equipped and readily stocked, is simply… alone out at sea with only sixteen Ultimates and a couple robots. Why is that?”

“I… don’t know.” Fuji admitted. “Whatever it is, though… I imagine it has something to do with how we got here in the first place.”

“Of course.” Uma nodded. “It would be remiss of me as a reporter to discount any potential leads or reasons, but it was still something that caught my attention...”

“Yeah.” Fuji agreed. “I think… this is something we should discuss with the others.”

“Agreed.” Uma said. “To the Dining Hall, then?”

“Yeah.” Fuji nodded.

He then watched as Uma smiled at him, then turned to the side, to the desk Dewa was sitting at, and kicked the desk’s leg. It rattled loudly and shifted to the side, causing Dewa to awake with a startled yelp, his arms flying out as he attempted to find purchase. They found nothing, and Dewa tumbled to the floor. Fuji sighed as Uma snorted, putting a hand in front of her mouth. Dewa began to yell at her, and for a second, Fuji was glad for the small, normal distraction from the strangeness of their situation.

* * *

 

The Dining Hall was… not loud, per se, but definitely not quiet either. Even in a big room like this, sixteen teenagers could make a lot of noise, no matter that they were elites in their field.

Tadamori, Chujo, Kimura, Dewa, and Jitsuko were sitting at one of the tables, playing with a pack of cards Kimura found in the Knick-Knack shop. Tadamori shouted at Kimura, slamming her fist on the table as the Ultimate Charismatic laughed. Dewa snorted, his feet up on the table, while Chujo stared down at his cards blankly. Jitsuko scowled at her hand, Esumi draped over her shoulder. The Ultimate Archer pointed out one of the cards, and Jitsuko nodded.

Honda, Amami, and Kuno stood nearby. Amami watched the card came with bemused interest, a half smile on his face, while Honda and Kuno talked quietly. Nearby, Diana, Hiramoto, Uma, and Ikari sat on the floor in a circle. Diana was telling a story that seemed to have the rapt attention of the other three.

“Interesting, right?” Goto asked, standing at Fuji’s side.

“What is?” Fuji asked, turning to look at Goto.

“This.” He motioned with a hand at their fellow Ultimates. “We’re all elites here, exceptional in the tasks we have dedicated ourselves to, the best of the best. And yet… many of them act like mere teenagers, cursing and shouting and fooling around.”

“Yeah.” Fuji nodded. “I kind of like it. It really makes it seem like everybody’s… human, y’know?”

“Hmph.” Goto snorted, crossing his arms. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it… even if I hadn’t considered it.”

The two fell silent, watching over the others. After a few moments, Fuji began thinking of something to say, but didn’t get a chance before the door to the hallway burst open.

“Guys!” Sasabe shouted, rushing over to the group. “Check it out!”

She rushed up to Fuji and Goto, hands cupping something, and a few of the others rushed over to see what she’d found. Fuji leaned close, interested to see what it was that was so interesting. Sasabe gently opened her hands to reveal…

“They’ve got the cute, shell shaped soaps in the bathroom!” Sasabe cried, holding a handful of small, multicolored soap bars pressed into seashell shapes.

“Oh, fuck off.” Tadamori snapped, turning around to go back to her game. “You’re wasting our time.”

“But they’re so cute!” Sasabe huffed, pouting.

“Okay then.” Honda sighed, clapping his hands to get everybody’s attention. “Now that we’ve all gathered up… what did we find?” The room was quiet, and Honda glanced around at everybody. He then sighed again, putting a hand on his hip. “Very well, I’ll start. Amami and I seached both of our quote unquote ‘Talent Labs’. They seem to be rooms specifically tailored to dealing with our talents, but they didn’t seem to have any hints as to our situation or how to get out of here. Only that Monokuma and… whoever controls him have a lot of money.”

“Oh, we found Hiramoto’s lab as well, near the Classrooms!” Diana chimed in, waving her hand to draw attention.

“Y-Yeah. We… w-we did.” Hiramoto agreed, arms pulled up to her chest. “But um… I d-didn-n’t find… any clues. Either. I-In my lab.”

“Me and Kuno looked around the Deck!” Sasabe chimed in. “The ocean looks really nice. Wish I could go for a swim...”

“There wasn’t anything there.” Kuno said simply, crossing her arms. She shot a blank look at somebody out of the corner of her eyes. “Except for whatever those three were messing with near the lifeboats.”

“Oh, you mean us?” Ikari asked.

“Okay, look.” Jitsuko snapped. “There was some cage elevator mounted where a lifeboat would normally be. Ikari helped me try to open it, so we could see why it was there, but couldn’t get it open.”

“Then Monokuma yelled at us.” Ikari said, sounding a bit more dejected than Fuji thought he probably should feel about getting scolded by Monokuma.

“Ooh, ooh, my turn!” Kimura said excitedly. He closed his eyes and put his index fingers to his temples. “Let’s see… hmm… hmmmmm...”

“Quit wasting our fuckin’ time.” Tadamori snapped, shooting Kimura a scowl. She then turned back to the group. “I found out that we can get into our Staterooms now. You gotta use your Monopad to swipe in, and the rooms seem personalized.”

“Hey, no fair!” Kimura whined.

“Shut up, you fuckin’ cockroach.” Tadamori hissed, glaring harder at him this time. She held her expression until Kimura pouted and slouched in his chair, to which Tadamori nodded in satisfaction and continued. “Anyways… shit’s hella creepy. We’ve got a close full of clothes matching our current getups, down to our goddamn underwear. Like, seriously, I’ve got like five pairs of the same panties, and I really need some variety, even if nobody sees it!”

“Ooh, TMI.” Uma said.

“Oh!” Kimura piped up, grinning. “We all have roommates too! Roomies!” He beamed. “Roomies are connected by another, smaller hallway!”

“Eugh.” Jitsuko said.

“As for me,” Goto began, “Chujo and I were informed by Monokuma that there will be a time in which we are permitted entry into the Navigation Building. As it stands, however, our entry is still barred.”

“Yeah.” Chujo chimed in. Everybody looked at him. He was looking away, lips pursed in thought. After a second of silence, he noticed everybody staring at him. “...what?”

“...did you have something to add?” Honda asked.

“No.” Chujo replied. “...uh, should I?”

“Jesus christ.” Jitsuko said.

“...right.” Honda sighed. “Anybody else?” He glanced at Fuji. A bit put on the spot, Fuji just shook his head. Honda simply nodded and turned back. “So, I take it nobody found any clues to our predicament.”

A silence settled over the Dining Hall. Fuji glanced around at everyone else, the silence oppressive. It almost seemed to push down on everybody.

“Um.” Ikari spoke up.

“You found somethin’?” Tadamori asked, head whipping over to him.

“Do tell! I’m curious!” Uma replied, eyes shining, her notepad in hand.

“W-Well… i-it wasn’t anything… important, really...” Ikari said, wilting a bit.

“Well, now I’m interested!” Sasabe said, grinning. “Tell me, tell me!”

“Might as well spit it out.” Goto snorted. “Since you’ve already mentioned it.”

“Alright...” Ikari anxiously rubbed at his neck, eyes flitting around. After a second, he sighed before straightening his back. “I think we should all have dinner together.”

“...huh?” Kuno asked. “What does that have to do with the investigation.”

“W-Well uh… nothing.” Ikari said. “But um...”

“But what, man?” Tadamori snapped.

“Let him talk!” Diana shouted, causing Tadamori to turn towards her and glare.

“I just figured that, uh...” Ikari rubbed at his bicep. “If Monokuma wants us to, like, kill each other… w-well, if we’re friends… then we won’t want to. You know? And Honda even mentioned it earlier, and everything.”

“And if we have meals together, then we can become friends easier.” Amami continued, smiling.

“Yeah. Yeah!” Ikari nodded, seeming to get some wind back in his sails now that it felt like somebody was agreeing with him.

“I don’t got a problem with it.” Diana remarked. “Seems like fun.”

“I-I’d… I’d like it. A-As well.” Hiramoto said.

“That sounds like sooooo much fun!” Kimura shouted. “We can make ramen! Or sandwiches, or some salads, and we can all have matching meals!”

“I’ll participate if my meal doesn’t match with his.” Tadamori snorted, motioning at Kimura with her thumb.

“Ditto.” Goto said, causing Kimura to pout.

Fuji watched as Ikari’s eyes lit up. Yes, this was definitely a good idea. He turned to Dewa and Uma, who had both moved over to stand near him. Uma smiled back.

“Just like a family dinner, huh?” Dewa asked, grinning.

“Indeed.” Uma nodded. “We’re all comrades now, so there’s no point in not having fun like this.”

“Yeah.” Fuji nodded. “I think-”

“Hey hey hey!” An unfortunately familiar voice shouted, pausing all conversation. “What the heck’s all this crap?!” Monokuma asked. “Dinner together?! What?!”

“...is there a problem?” Kuno asked.

“Uh… yeah!” Monokuma yelled. “You lot should be at each other’s throats, not planning _dinner_.”

“Oh, but I really wanted to do sandwiches.” Chujo said.

“I think you misunderstood...” Amami chuckled, patting Chujo on the shoulder.

“What do you even want?” Goto asked.

“Sheesh.” Monokuma shook his head. “I came here to tell you guys about something important, and I’m treated to this? What a sorry sight.”

“Most teachers like it when their students get along.” Sasabe said.

“Yeah? Well I’m not most teachers!” Monokuma snapped. “Ugh, this is making me sick.” He turned away. “I just came here to tell you guys that Nighttime is in a couple of hours. The Dining Hall doesn’t lock up during the night, but the Kitchen does. I’m not enforcing a curfew because I’m a good Captain, but it’s a good idea to start heading to your rooms around Nighttime anyways.” He glanced over at the group. “Also, there will be announcements at 10PM and 8AM every day, signaling the start and end of Nighttime respectively.”

“Thanks.” Chujo said.

“Don’t thank him!” Tadamori cried. “He fuckin’ trapped us here!”

“Oh. Right.” Chujo said. He turned to Monokuma and shrugged. “You’re evil.”

“How rude.” Monokuma snorted.

“Are you gonna spend all night bothering us, or can we eat something?” Kuno asked, arms crossed.

Monokuma stiffly turned to her, narrowing his eyes at her. Kuno responded by raising her brow, and the two took a cold second to stare at each other before Monokuma huffed and turned away.

“Hmph. Fine.” He put his hands on his hips. “I just wanted to help you guys out. But if you’re gonna be rude then I’m just going to go.”

“Good riddance!” Jitsuko snapped, turning around and stomping towards the Kitchen. Honda, Goto, and Esumi moved to follow her. Monokuma looked irritated at the curt dismissal and huffed again.

“Whatever. You’re all so mean to me. And I’m just doing this to help you.” And with that, he waddled away, disappearing behind a table.

“Hmm.” Uma hummed, tapping her pen against her chin. “What a strange thing, that Monokuma.”

Dewa shot her a half-lidded glance. “Can you be any less concerned about this?”

“Hey guys.” Amami said, suddenly at their sides. He got between Uma and Dewa, putting a hand on one shoulder each and grinning. “Wanna help me gather chairs up? I figured we should eat at the same table. Y’know, for closeness’ sake.

“Sounds good to me.” Fuji said, smiling. At that, Dewa deflated, sighing a moment after.

“Might as well check to see if any of the tables are bigger than the others.” He said, glancing around. “I’m sure this place has some tables to fit larger groups, since this is, like, a cruise ship.”

“Now you’re thinkin’.” Amami said, half-smiling. He broke off from the group, and Dewa followed, leaving Fuji and Uma standing by themselves, the others beginning to bustle around them.

“This whole situation...” Uma murmured, barely audible over the sound of dragging chairs.

“Sorry?” Fuji said, turning to her. “Did you say something?”

“...” Uma turned to Fuji, head cocked. She stared for half a second, then laughed. “Nope! Just thinking.” She reached forward and grabbed Fuji’s wrist, pulling him towards the Kitchen. “Come, I want to make sure some wonton soup is being made!”

“H-Hold on!” Fuji protested. “We don’t even know what they have!”

* * *

 

“Crazy day, huh?” Dewa asked, arms crossed.

“...yeah, that’s one way to put it.” Fuji sighed. The two were standing on the landing of the staircase in the Hotel’s Lobby. Dewa was leaning against the staircase’s railing, while Fuji sat on the top stair.

The group had eaten dinner together, and things had almost seemed kind of normal. However, once the food was gone, and the conversation had died down, the reality of the situation had settled in, putting a dark feeling into the majority of them there. Once that had happened, things had gone quiet, and the group had slowly flaked away until it was just Fuji and Dewa left. The two remained out on the landing.

Fuji couldn’t think of anything else to say, and it didn’t seem like Dewa had anything to say either, so the two just sat in silence. Fuji put his arms on his knees and frowned. This… this wasn’t good. His mind was flitting around, refusing to settle on a single thought. It was hard to think of what to do from here, though he was certainly trying.

“Oh, hey!” A voice said. Fuji turned to the side, finding Monotaro heading towards them, coming from the direction of the Classrooms. “What’re you two doing out here?”

“Nothing.” Dewa said.

“Oh.” Monotaro replied. The three sat in silence for a few seconds before Monotaro cleared his throat. “Well uh… you gotta go to your rooms.”

“...why?” Dewa asked, frowning.

“Well… see, uh...” Monotaro rubbed at the back of his head. “We gotta set up a few more things, so… you gotta be in your rooms. Plus, it’s Nighttime, so you should be sleeping anyways!”

“...” Dewa stared at him blankly, then glanced over to Fuji, who offered him a shrug. He sighed, then straightened his back. “Whatever. I’m not doing anything of value here anyway. Let’s go Fuji.”

“Sure.” Fuji stretched his arms before standing up.

“...okay, cool.” Monotaro nodded. “Wow, I didn’t think it’d be that easy. Looks like I’m doing something right!” His weird smile grew a little, and he physically patted himself on the back. Fuji and Dewa turned to walk away, but before they could get to far, Monotaro shouted at them. “Hey, wait a second!”

“...what?” Dewa asked.

“Uhhhh...” Monotaro looked away, leaning over at tapping at his face. “I was supposed to tell you something… um… gimme a second. I gotta think about- oh!” He snapped upright. “That’s right! I’m supposed to remind you of the rules, so you don’t get axed like a moron!”

Fuji and Dewa shared a look.

“Let’s see...” Monotaro continued, apparently not noticing. “Um… the gist of it is like this: remember that you need your Monopads to get into your rooms, so don’t forget them! You’re not allowed to trade Monopads either, so remember that. Oh, and you can stay in somebody else’s room, just remember to get permission, otherwise I have to kill you!”

“Dude, we know all this.” Dewa said. “We read the rules.”

“W-Well yeah. I… uh, know that.” Monotaro somehow looked embarrassed, glancing away and tugging at his scarf. “But… y’know gotta make sure. That you know. But since you do… uh...” He glanced back at Fuji and Dewa. “Igottagothenbye.” And with that, he was gone, speeding down towards the Classrooms and disappearing.

“...goddamn those guys are annoying.” Dewa remarked.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Fuji said.

The two made their way back to their rooms. Surprisingly enough, their rooms were right next to each other, definitely linked by a connecting hall. They were in one of the shorter offshoots of the Stateroom intersection, and were directly across the hall from Amami and Goto’s rooms, who Fuji assumed were ‘roommates’, for lack of a better term.

Dewa walked up to his own door and swiped his Monopad. His door clicked open, and Dewa tested it with a slight push. The door easily swung open. He took a moment to stare at it before shrugging, glancing back at Fuji.

“Shit, guess this really is mine, huh?” He offered a tired laugh. “I’m fuckin’ beat dude. This has been such a weird day.”

“Tell me about it.” Fuji said, chuckling quietly. “...see you tomorrow, I guess.”

“Yeah.” Dewa nodded. “Tomorrow.” And with that, he was gone, the door to his room shutting behind him. That left Fuji alone in the hallway. He stared down at the carpet for a moment before sighing and swiping his Monopad against his door scanner. The door clicked, letting him know it was open, and Fuji headed inside for the night.


	5. Chapter 1 - Maritime Breeze, Antique Despair, Part 2

Fuji awoke with a start, half jumping in his chair. He didn’t get all the way up into the air due to the hand on his shoulder keeping him in his seat. Blinking the sleep away, Fuji rubbed some drool off his chin with the heel of his hand, then turned to look at his mystery visitor.

Dewa stared back at him.

“Fuji, you good, dude?” Dewa asked, offering a playful smirk. “Didn’t even get to bed?”

“...I was doing some writing.” Fuji replied, rubbing at his eyes. He turned back to his desk. On it was an open journal, one Fuji found in his desk, with a pencil next to it. The writing, his writing, was normal for the most part, until two thirds of the way down the page, when it began flowing and growing heavy, before a thick, dark line trailed off the page and ended at the point of the pencil. Oh.

“Seems like it.” Dewa said, looking down at Fuji’s journal as well. “Well hey, didn’t mean to interrupt your beauty sleep, but I figured you’d wanna grab some breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” Fuji glanced back at Dewa. It was then that he noticed the sunlight streaming through his window, throwing sunlight in arcs across his room.

“Yeah, it’s like...” Dewa paused, pulling out his Monopad and squinting at it for a second. “A little after nine. About an hour ago, the Morning Announcement came on, and Diana swung by a little bit after to invite us to breakfast with the others.”

“...Morning Announcement?” Fuji asked, brow furrowing.

“Yeah.” Dewa nodded. He pointed to the monitor mounted on the wall. “Monotaro and Monodam were on it. It was super fuckin’ weird, but seems like the whole thing is just to get us up.” His playful smirk returned. “Seems like it didn’t work so well though.”

“...yeah.” Fuji chuckled, shaking his head.

“Anyways, just checkin’ on you.” Dewa said, standing up straight. “You wanna take a bit to get ready? We can head to breakfast after.”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Fuji nodded, stretching his arms. He really needed to stop falling asleep at desks. It really put a crick in his neck. “Give me five minutes.”

“Done.” Dewa shot him a grin and turned around.

Fuji watched as Dewa headed to the door off to the side, opening it up and heading inside. Well, that answered Fuji’s question about where Dewa actually came from. He almost forgot about the connecting halls. Leaning back in his chair, Fuji frowned, staring out of his window into the sunlight and blue sky beyond. This would almost be relaxing if they weren’t trapped here.

With a sigh, Fuji got up, stretching his back and popping his neck. Looks like he’d just have to do his best to get out of here. There had to be clues somewhere, right?…

* * *

 

There were a lot of things Fuji could have seen when he and Dewa entered the Dining Hall at half past nine in the morning. However, his fourteen other classmates, assembled around three tables in a loud, if pleasant, group wasn’t exactly one he was expecting. Off to the side was a long table, draped with a red felt tablecloth, and was laden with dishes featuring all sorts of breakfast foods.

One table held the group of Valentine, Hiramoto, Jitsuko, Sasabe, and Esumi. Jitsuko seemed like her normal self, quiet and slightly annoyed, as Valentine sat next to her and seemed to be going on about something, animated in her movements as she told her story. Esumi, Sasabe, and Hiramoto listened in rapt attention, though Esumi would occasionally shoot Jitsuko a humored smile, to which Jitsuko would respond with an evident snort or roll of the eyes, which Valentine would either not notice or ignore.

The second table held Kuno, Amami, Honda, Goto, Tadamori, and Chujo. For the most part, Kuno, Honda, and Goto were silent. Tadamori was making a lot of noise, which sounded like complaining, and every once in a while, Chujo or Amami would toss in a sentence that seemed to only piss Tadamori off further, intensifying her rant.

The final table seemed a bit more lively, with Kimura, Uma, and Ikari sharing what seemed to be a pleasant conversation. Dewa made his way over and dropped himself into a seat next to Ikari, who slapped him on the back and grinned.

Fuji made note of all of this as he gathered up some breakfast from the long table. Despite himself, however, he couldn’t really shake away the idea that this was such a strangely pleasant atmosphere for something so… dangerous. It was so nice and normal that it almost made him forget that, just yesterday, they’d woken up here and been told to kill each other to escape. The thought sent a cold shiver down his back, his hairs standing on end, and he willed the thought away. They’d be okay. They’d be okay.

Fuji felt a pair of eyes drill into the back of his head as he walked over to the table Dewa was at, and a glance over his shoulder revealed the source to be Valentine, who seemed to have noticed his presence. A moment later, Esumi and Hiramoto noticed Valentine no longer talking, and glanced over as well. Hiramoto instantly broke eye contact, returning to fiddling with her breakfast, while Esumi shot him a wave and a smile. Fuji waved back, but couldn’t shake the feeling of Valentine staring at him.

When he finally sat down, he watched Valentine’s gaze finally break, and she began looking around the room. Fuji watched her for a few moments before he was interrupted by light shove to his shoulder.

“Yoo hoo!” Kimura called, pushing Fuji’s shoulder again. “Earth to Fuji! Do you copy?”

“S-Sorry.” He stuttered, turning away from Valentine. When he looked up at the others at his table, Uma smiled at him, while Ikari grinned and offered a thumbs up. “Did you say something?”

“I was _asking_ how your beauty sleep was.” Kimura said, sighing overdramatically and leaning back in his seat, the front legs of his chair leaving the ground. “You left us waiting. I was so bored I ate breakfast without you, even though I wanted to wait.”

“Ah. My bad.” Fuji shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “Had a… strange night.”

“Indeed, indeed.” Uma crossed her arms and nodded. “Such incomprehensible circumstances we find ourselves in these days. I myself had trouble sleeping, but I managed to find peace in the thought that a true reporter would never be caught without a proper night’s rest.”

“Yeah, yesterday was kinda scary.” Ikari sighed. “I like to go on runs to clear my head, but we don’t have a proper track or anything here.” He frowned. “I had to just do a couple of laps around the Deck for my morning jog today. Not as fun, and the material of the Deck isn’t really… made for doing laps like that.”

“Go figure.” Dewa snorted. “Might have to join you though, tomorrow morning or something. It’d be nice to go for a jog and clear my head.”

“Awesome!” Ikari grinned. “It’s always good to have a partner when exercising. I personally prefer to have one myself, but I couldn’t find anybody to go with me.”

“Why didn’t you ask Jitsuko?” Uma asked, cocking her head.

“U-Um...” Ikari’s eyes widened a bit, and he glanced around nervously. “W-Well she uh… kinda… you know.” He leaned in a little and lowered his voice. “She’s a little scary...”

“Pfahahaha!” Kimura broke out in laughter, slapping his knee.

“Hey, it’s true!” Ikari protested, sounding upset. “I’m not saying it to be mean!”

“Alright, everybody!” A voice shouted. When Fuji turned to see who it was, he found Valentine standing in her chair. Hiramoto fretted at her side, arms moving towards and away from Valentine, as if decided whether or not it was a good idea to stabilize her. Jitsuko had propped her feet up on the table and shook her head, while Esumi and Sasabe watched with interest.

“Booooo!” Kimura cried out. “Sit down!”

“Shut up!” Valentine snapped back, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m trying to talk about something important!”

“Get on with it!” Tadamori yelled. “I’m tryna enjoy my breakfast!”

“Ugh.” Valentine’s eyes grew half lidded in annoyance before she straightened her back and scowled. “Okay, okay! I just thought we should talk about our plan!”

“What plan?” Jitsuko asked, glancing up at her.

“The plan that we need to come up with, obviously!” Valentine replied. “We can’t let this ‘Killing Game’ stuff distract us from figuring out a way out of here!”

“You haven’t even come up with an idea.” Goto scoffed. “Pathetic.”

“H-Hey, now...” Hiramoto began.

“Well I don’t see _you_ coming up with anything, jerk!” Valentine huffed, sticking her tongue out at him. “And FYI, I _did_ come up with an idea, so that’s more than you can say. So shut up.”

“Tell ‘im, girl!” Sasabe laughed, also sticking her tongue out at Goto. “Take that, Mister Smart Aleck!”

“Yeah, shut the hell up!” Tadamori snapped.

Goto grumbled and scowled at the three of them, but didn’t respond.

“...well, what’s your idea?” Amami asked.

“So, I was thinking...” Valentine began, crossing her arms. “We were told to kill each other, right? And that’s not cool. So what’s the opposite of going against each other?” She stopped, looking around the room for an answer.

It was Hiramoto who humored her, a moment later. “U-Um… w-working, uh… t-together.”

“Exactly!” Valentine beamed, reaching over to ruffle Hiramoto’s hair. The girl in question went red, receding into her curtain of hair and pulling up her satchel to cover her face. Valentine either didn’t notice or ignored it, continuing on. “I think that we need to work together! If not as friends, then as… uh...” She paused, frowning, before continuing. “Then as Ultimates! Because we’re all smart and good at shit, so obviously if we work together, then things are gonna work out!” She put her hands on her hips and grinned.

“...yeah, sure.” Chujo shrugged.

“That’s all you have to say?” Jitsuko asked, staring up at Valentine with her lips pressed together.

“Well, not completely.” Valentine looked down at her. “I was also gonna mention that we should all eat breakfast together, for like, bonding purposes.” At that, Tadamori began coughing, and Amami thumped her on the back a few times, until she hacked up a chunk of whatever it was she was eating. Honda shot her a disapproving stare and stood up.

“I agree with Valentine.” Honda said. At the use of the ‘wrong’ name, Valentine rolled her eyes. Honda clearly didn’t notice, and continued. “Becoming a cohesive group only serves to help us all out. Breaking apart and falling to Monokuma’s whims would only hurt us, so it’s in our best interests to become, if not friends, then at least pleasant acquaintances. Thus, I corroborate her desires, and think daily breakfast is a good way to start.”

“I-I, um… al-lso think it’s good. Th-The idea.” Hiramoto managed to speak up, still hiding behind her satchel.

“I also agree!” Uma chimed in, grinning and writing something down on her notepad. “Just think, the things we might do...”

“This is a great idea!” Ikari also offered, slinging an arm over Dewa’s shoulder, who let out a surprised grunt as the motion pulled him away from his breakfast.

Fuji took a few seconds to look around the Dining Hall as everybody began to chatter amongst themselves. Seems like the idea had gotten some traction, as nobody seemed to be actively opposing it. The concept brought a small smile to Fuji’s face. The idea of working with the others, even becoming friends… he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t expected it to happen, but the strangest of times bring the most out of people.

Fuji’s smile immediately dropped, however, when he turned his eyes back to his own table. Uma was scribbling in her notebook, and Dewa was talking angrily to a sheepish Ikari. However, those three weren’t the person Fuji was looking at. No, his eyes were trained on the Ultimate Charismatic himself.

Kimura was leaning back in his chair, lips curved up in a half smile. It was a mischievous smile that nonetheless told Fuji that he was gonna say something that nobody wanted to hear. Fuji opened his mouth to speak, but Kimura spoke faster.

“Okay, so like, first of all.” Kimura said, just loud enough for everybody to hear him. The Dining Hall went quiet as he continued. “Diana, I thought your speech was super good. Definite, major props.” He nodded intently, offering the girl in question a few strong claps.

“...uh, thanks?” Valentine responded, glancing around in confusion.

“No prob.” Kimura grinned. “But, I was thinking about what you said, right? And I wanna be friends with you guys, I really do! But what exactly are you trying to get us to do?”

“I just said,” Valentine replied, frowning. “We need to-”

“Be friends and work together, I know. And I agree!” Kimura stood up, stretching. “But, like, what can we do, exactly? We’ve already explored as much of this place as we can reach, and found nothing. There’s nobody here to help us, and no clues as to what to do. So, what _do_ we do?”

“I-” Valentine tried to talk, but Kimura continued.

“Talk’s nice and all, but there’s not much that can be done here with just talk.” He clasped his hands behind his head and sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “Elsewhere, maybe… but here? I think we only have two options.”

“I don’t wanna hear this.” Dewa growled, glaring at Kimura.

“Me neither.” Tadamori said, shooting Kimura a venom filled stare.

“Now hold on, guys.” Amami spoke up. “I know this kind of thing isn’t nice to hear, but discussing our limits is really important for figuring out what options we can pursue.”

“Esumi agrees.” Jitsuko said simply, glancing over. The Ultimate Archer nodded, rapidly signing something at Jitsuko. She stared at Esumi’s hands for a few moments before grunting. “She says that it’s uncomfortable, but we have to talk about it.”

“Soooo glad to hear I have some support!” Kimura said, a cheeky grin gracing his face. “Can I mention what I thought up?”

“...go ahead.” Honda told him, motioning for Kimura to continue with a nod of his head.

“Excellent!” Kimura said. “Our options are as follows:” When he spoke next, his grin was cold. “We either sit around and wait for help, or we accept our circumstances and die.”

The Dining Room was silent. Fuji swore it was so quiet that he could hear the whirring of the wall-mounted camera’s inner workings as it slowly drifted towards Kimura. A pin dropping would have shattered their eardrums. And all the while, while everybody processed what exactly it was that had been said to them, Kimura had a shit eating grin on his face.

“Q-Quit fuckin’ around.” Tadamori said finally, her voice high-pitched with rising panic. “This shit ain’t funny.”

“Hmm...” Sasabe mused, planting an elbow on the table and supporting her head with it.

“Uh… u-uh...” Ikari tried to say something, mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out.

“Kimura...” Fuji managed. “You… you say things like that.”

“Why not?” Kimura asked, smirking. “I’m just being realistic. We’ve already looked around, and done everything we can without breaking a rule. The way I see things, our first option is to sit around and do nothing, and hope that our disappearances mount enough of a search that we’re found out here.” He pursed his lips in thought and stared upwards. “Oooooor… we break a rule or play Monokuma’s game. Either way, somebody dies. And since we’re all friends, then that’s not really an option is it? Unless somebody’s willing to give their life up.”

Fuji opened his mouth to respond, but couldn’t find the words. They just weren’t there. And the reason for that… well, it’s because Fuji was realizing Kimura was right. What _could_ they do, really? They were trapped out here, threatened with death both for playing and not playing a sadistic game placed before them. Either they accept their circumstances and die to each other, or go against their captor and die for their insubordination.

A clacking sound snapped Fuji out of his mental downward spiral. Something about the air felt… _tight_ as Fuji moved to turn around in his chair. Then, something slammed down onto his shoulder, hard enough to send a jolt of pain shooting down his entire arm. His nerves screamed as he was shoved to the side, a yelp escaping his mouth. His chair toppled with the force of the shove. Fuji’s vision darkened as his head impacted something on the way down, sending him sprawled out on the floor.

When the world returned to view, he found Uma and Honda at his sides, his head held in Uma’s lap. Past them, he saw what had thrown him to the floor in the first place. Jitsuko towered above him, a hand clenching the front of Kimura’s shirt, raising him far above the floor with a single arm. The Ultimate Charismatic kicked his legs weakly, both arms squeezing Jitsuko’s wrist in a death grip. She was flanked by Esumi, Ikari, and Dewa, who were trying to get her to let go of Kimura. Dewa and Ikari held onto her arm while Esumi tugged at her shirt.

“Gimme one good reason to not knock your lights out.” Jitsuko snarled, staring daggers at the boy in her grasp, completely ignoring the three at her sides.

“I... dunno.” Kimura managed, struggling to keep himself at an angle where he could keep eye contact with Jitsuko. His shitty smile, while still present, seemed very shaky. “It’d be… a stain on your conscience?”

“Like I give a damn about that.” Jitsuko replied, giving him a slight shake.

“Calm down you… fucking barbarian...” Dewa grunted, pulling at Jitsuko’s arm with all his might. Ikari said nothing, brow scrunched up in focus as he supplemented Dewa’s efforts.

Jitsuko shot him a sideways glance, her other hand moving to plant itself on Dewa’s chest. A quick shove sent him stumbling back, and Amami came up from behind to catch him.

“Okay, enough.” Kuno finally spoke up, marching up to Jitsuko. “How is this productive?”

“Who cares?” Jitsuko asked, glaring down at Kuno. “I’m pissed off.”

“You’re going to care, when things start falling apart.” Kuno said simply, hands stuffed into her jacket pockets.

“Aaaaand, if you do something stupid _now_ , it’s gonna be soooo damn boring!” The sixteen students turned, finding Monokuma standing on one of the tables, glaring at Jitsuko. “So put him down!”

“Why should I?” Jitsuko asked, lowering Kimura slightly.

“Because if your big, meaty hands end up choking him out, then everybody knows who killed him, and then the Class Trial is boring and lasts like, five minutes! And then _I’ll_ be the one getting pissed off!” Monokuma snapped, throwing up his paws in anger. “And you won’t like me when I’m angry!”

“I know that one!” Monotaro exclaimed, climbing up onto the table with Monokuma, appearing out of nowhere. “And he’ll turn green with anger!” Monodam climbed up after him and shook his head.

“IT-IS-ENVY.” He explained.

“Don’t be jealous just because I knew the answer!” Monotaro replied.

“Ugh.” Jitsuko groaned, simply opening up her hand. Kimura dropped like a sack of bricks, and Ikari stooped down to make sure he was okay. Jitsuko glared down at the Ultimate Charismatic. “Consider yourself lucky, you little shit.”

“Duly noted.” Kimura replied, gently touching his shirt collar and neck.

“What do you want?” Kuno asked, ignoring the others and turning to Monokuma. “You’re obviously here for some reason.”

“Aww, are we already so close that you know me that well?” Monokuma gushed, putting his paws to his face and turning away in mock embarrassment. “I’m so flattered, I didn’t know you liked me that much!”

“...” Kuno didn’t reply, though her expression grew stormy.

“Anyways, Little Miss Recluse is correct, I do have something for the lot of you today.” Monokuma said, returning to a more natural pose.

“We don’t want it.” Dewa said, flapping a hand at Monokuma and pulling himself out of Amami’s steadying grip. “It’s probably shitty.”

“So rude!” Monokuma cried out. “You don’t even know what it is yet!”

“Knowing you, it can’t possibly be anything good.” Goto snorted.

Monokuma sighed. “So disrespectful. And all this after I prepared something especially for you guys.” He shook his head. “For people who talk so much about wanting to get out of here, you’re awfully against me throwing you guys a line.”

“...hmm?” Uma looked over, giving Fuji a chance to finally sit up. “Are you saying you have something for us, possibly relating to the outside?”

“Why _thank you_ for asking!” Monokuma exclaimed, looking pleased. “I do indeed! I’ve procured a little somethin’ somethin’ for everybody here, from the outside world!”

_That_ got Fuji concerned, and the ripple of murmuring that spread through their group told him that the others felt similarly. And all the while, Monokuma stood there, grinning with a devious glint in his red eye. Fuji’s hair started standing on end.

“Explain.” Kuno snapped.

“Alright, alright, Ms. Pushy...” Monokuma sighed, shaking his head. “I’ve cooked a little thing up for the sixteen of you, since I realized that you guys, as a whole, don’t appear to be really… with the whole ‘Killing Game’ thing. So, I decided to give you guys a little… push.”

“A… push.” Honda said, crossing his arms and rising to his feet. “And what is this ‘push’?”

“Nothin’ big, nothin’ complicated.” Monokuma said. His red eye lit up, and his grin seemed to stretch. “Just a motive to get this Killing Game started.” He took a second to pause, looking around the room. Before he could start talking again, however, somebody spoke up.

“Weren’t you listening to us?” Valentine asked, scowling and putting her hands on her hips. “We just said that we weren’t gonna play your stupid game.”

“Y-Yeah! Yeah, that’s right!” Ikari chimed in. “We’re all gonna be friends, and friends don’t… you know...”

“Kill each other?” Kimura asked.

“I… didn’t wanna say it.” Ikari admitted, picking at his shirt.

“Oh, would you guys can it?” Monokuma snapped, looking as irritated as a plush toy could be. “I didn’t finish!”

“Then why did you stop talking?” Goto asked, sneering.

“For the effect!” Monokuma said, throwing his hands up. “Don’t you guys have any sense of dramatic timing? If I just belt everything out at once, it sounds like I’m exposition dumping!”

“What the hell are you going on about?...” Jitsuko muttered, shaking her head.

“I… suppose it makes sense, for the suspense.” Dewa said, shrugging. “You want to let things settle, give a beat for the information to sink in. Typical storytelling stuff.”

“This isn’t a story, though.” Amami reminded him. “This is real.”

“R-Right...” Dewa laughed awkwardly, looking away.

“Alright, alright, enough commentary.” Monokuma cut in. “Am I gonna get to talk about this, or are we gonna waste all day talking about dumb stuff?”

“You’re the one that brought dumb stuff for us to talk about.” Sasabe pointed out.

“Can it.” Monokuma said, shooting her a fluffy glare. She snickered, leaning back in her chair.

“Just hurry up.” Kuno rolled her eyes. “So we can get back to escaping.”

“What’s with the youth of today, trying to leave the nest so early?” Monotaro asked, putting a stubby hand on his ‘cheek’.

“NOT-AWARE-OF-THE-HORRORS-OF-THE-REAL-WORLD.” Monodam replied, causing Monotaro to nod in agreement.

“Anyways!” Monokuma borderline shouted. “I’m going to explain your gift! If anybody has any snarky comments, shut up. Your Captain doesn’t want to hear them!” He glared, looking around the room. Nobody responded, which seemed to satisfy him. He nodded, then raised a paw and made a snapping sound.

As soon as the sound Monokuma made went off, another sound replied. It was the sound of sixteen quiet dings, like glass tinkling or wind chimes sounding off. Fuji felt his Monopad vibrate in his pocket, and blinked in surprise. He quickly dug out the device and switched it on. The home screen was mostly normal, aside from the fact that the ‘Motives’ tab now had a small ‘1’ in a bubble in it, blinking red and demanding his attention. Just as Fuji began moving his finger towards the Motives tab, however…

“Hold it!” Monokuma snapped. Fuji’s gaze flicked upwards, and he noticed that most of the others were staring down at their Monopads as well. The only ones who weren’t were Jitsuko, Kuno, and Chujo. Jitsuko’s face was contorted in a snarl, and her gaze was firmly locked onto Monokuma. Kuno had her arms crossed, her Monopad not even out, and her stare was chilly as she too stared at their Captain. Chujo didn’t look like he was paying attention, and stared blankly up at the ceiling.

“What?” Kuno asked. “Didn’t you want us to look at our motives?”

“I do.” Monokuma nodded. “ _However_ , there’s a stipulation to this motive. I want everybody to experience their motives by themselves for extra effect.”

“Huh?” Chujo cocked his head. “Why?”

“I just said: for extra effect! For the suspense! The feel!” Monokuma bared his claws in anger. “Weren’t you listening?!”

“Uh...” Chujo glanced away, lips pressed together. “No, not really...”

“...” Monokuma stared blankly at him.

“So what?” Jitsuko asked. “How the fuck are we supposed to do this by ourselves here in the Dining Hall.”

“You’re not.” Monokuma said simply, turning to her. He shook his head before turning to address everybody else. “Alright everybody, new class activity! Head to your rooms and check on your motives! Return here once you’re done!”

“Wait, but-” Fuji tried to speak. He was cut off by Kuno’s chair sliding back into place. She had marched back to her chair and kicked it back into place. Without another word, Kuno marched out of the Dining Hall, hands in her pockets. Goto and Tadamori were quick to follow suit, and Jitsuko, Esumi, and Chujo weren’t far behind.

“Well.” Kimura said, watching as Amami and Honda left as well, the former looking far more concerned than the latter. “I think things are about to get real interesting real quick.” He turned to Fuji and grinned. “This is gonna be fun!” And with that, he bounced out of his seat and skipped out of the Dining Hall.

“Hey, hey it’ll be okay.” Fuji turned, finding Valentine attempting to calm down a shivering Hiramoto. The Ultimate Tutor had her eyes shut as she shuffled towards the Dining Hall’s door.

“H-Hey! Hey, wait up!” Ikari suddenly jumped to his feet, jogging after the two girls.

“Hmmmm...” Sasabe hummed, glancing around. Fuji looked around as well. The only ones left in the Dining Hall, aside from him and Sasabe, were Uma and Dewa. Sasabe looked back down at her Monopad curiously before glancing at Monokuma. “Hey. Moku.”

“Eh? What?” Monokuma asked, turning to her. “Why haven’t you gone yet?”

“Do we hafta do the whole motive thing?” She asked, picking at her ear. “This seems kinda lame, to be honest. And I don’t wanna waste my time doing something lame.”

“Wh- lame?!” Monokuma’s vicious glare from earlier returned. “What the heck do you mean ‘lame’?”

“Just doesn’t seem very fun.” Sasabe replied, shrugging.

Monokuma let out an exasperated sigh, bringing a paw up to his face. After a second, he sighed again and shook his head. “...ugh. No, I suppose you don’t _have_ to do the motive. But you’re gonna be unaware of what might happen to you if you don’t. You have no idea what somebody could be planning that you won’t understand because you didn’t-”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sasabe flapped a hand at Monokuma, leaning back in her chair. “No thanks. I don’t think anybody here could take me in a fight. ‘Sept for Suko, but she’d never fight me because we’re super good friends.” She grinned at the plush bear, who simply fumed.

A moment later, his anger redirected. Monokuma marched up to Fuji, Dewa, and Uma and threw his hands up. “You three! Get out of here and listen to the motive! No more excused absences!”

“Listen?” Uma asked, cocking her head.

“OOOOUT!” Monokuma screeched, bearing his claws. Fuji jumped to his feet, scrambling for the Dining Hall door. The pairs of footsteps behind him told him that Uma and Dewa followed.

The trio ended up in the hallway, finding it void of any of the others. Fuji leaned over, putting a hand on his knee and taking a big breath. Dewa leaned against the wall and sighed. Uma pulled out her Monopad and looked it over for a few moments.

“Fuji, are you okay?” Uma asked, eyes still directed down at her Monopad. “Jitsuko certainly did a number to you.”

“Y-Yeah...” Fuji nodded, rubbing at his sore shoulder. “I think I’m fine. I think that if Jitsuko really wanted to hurt me, I’d be a lot worse.”

“Very true.” Uma said, glancing up and offering a smile. “In that case, I’m going to go listen to the motive.” She informed them. “But I will see you here once we’re done.” Uma nodded before trotting off, leaving Fuji and Dewa alone.

“...what the hell, man?” Dewa said out loud, running a hand through his hair. “Things just took a nosedive out of nowhere. Fuckin’ Monokuma, man...” He shook his head and glanced at Fuji, hand still threaded into his blond locks. “You sure you’re good, man?”

“Yeah, I’m alright… Just a little sore.” Fuji nodded, righting his posture. His eyes drift down to the Monopad in his hand, and his grip tightens slightly. “I think… we should see what Monokuma’s prepared for us.”

Dewa doesn’t respond verbally, only nodding slightly when Fuji glanced up. Without a word, the two made their way for the Staterooms. To Fuji’s surprise, he saw Kimura standing in the hallway. The Ultimate Charismatic waved, but left the two to their devices. Dewa flipped him the bird, to which Kimura responded by sticking out his tongue.

Upon arriving at their rooms, Dewa offered Fuji a somber ‘it’ll be alright’ before heading into his room, and Fuji didn’t waste much time after that. He swiped into his room, flopped onto his bed, and turned his Monopad back on.

The gentle glow of the screen almost seemed to mock Fuji as he stared at the Motives tab, the small bubble with the ‘1’ in it bouncing slightly. A frown made its way onto Fuji’s face, and he found himself hesitating as the screen stared back at him. If he opened this motive up… he’d be playing right into Monokuma’s hands, wouldn’t he?

But… well, what other choice did he have, if he was already here in his room, thinking about it? A small part of his brain told him he should have followed Sasabe’s lead and refused to deal with the Motive. The best way to deal with a ‘game’ like this was to not play, right?

Before his brain could keep going, Fuji acted. He tapped the Motives tab, and it opened up. He hadn’t actually looked at the tab before now, but it seemed… rather empty. The only thing there, aside from the soft blue background, was a single rounded rectangle with text. The words read ‘MOTIVE 1, PART 1 – FUJI YOTA’. _That_ caught his attention. Part one? What was that supposed to mean? Going against his better judgment, Fuji selected the rectangle.

The screen faded to black, and Fuji saw a small bar on the bottom of the screen, like those seen on videos. There was a large pause button in the middle of the screen, but it didn’t change as the speakers on his Monopad squawked, jumping to life. The sudden sound startled, Fuji, and he almost dropped the Monopad. However, the familiar voice that started talking made his grip tighten in fear.

“...-oing, Yota?” The voice of his big brother asked.

“Yasuke?” Fuji asked, pulling the tablet close.

“Just calling to see how you’re doing.” Yasuke’s voice said, lightly laughing.

“Yasuke! Yasuke, you gotta help me!” Fuji shouted. “I’m-”

“Just wanted to give you an update on home,” Yasuke’s voice continued, ignoring him. “Since you’re so busy livin’ the high life as an Ultimate. I know you’re busy, but it would it kill ya to pick up when your favorite big bro calls?” Again, Yasuke’s voice laughed lightly, though this one was a bit more melancholy.

“Y-Yasuke, I...” Fuji began, trailing off as the message continued. That’s all it was, a message… His big brother wasn’t on the other end. It was just a message.

“Yeah, things are, uh… a little bit rough.” Yasuke’s message sighed. “Dad’s falling sick again, and I dunno if I’ll keep having time to bring Mio to school. I don’t want her to miss out, but… well, I can’t keep taking her, and I can’t have her riding the subway alone.” Again, he sighed. However, the message’s voice grew lighted. “But hey, no need to worry you about the trivial shit. Just be sure to do your best out there, yeah? You’re gonna make history! Leave the home life to your big bro Yasuke. I’ll make sure everything’s amazing when you return home, alright? And bring me a souvenir!”

And just like that, the recording cut out. Fuji clenched his jaw and stared down at the video, almost willing something to come up on the black screen, giving him something, anything. And to his surprise, something did. A small little box, with a cutesy drawing of Monokuma offering him a thumbs up. The text in the box was simple, yet sent a frigid wave of anxiety down Fuji’s spine.

‘Murder for more!’

Fuji spent the next few minutes just… digesting what had been placed before him. A simple message about his family. Sure, it seemed a little bleak for a few moments, but he trusted his big brother to keep things held together. Yeah… yeah, that’s right. His family was alright, and this wasn’t much more than an attempt to scare him into doing something drastic. Despite his sureness on that account, Fuji couldn’t stop himself from listening to the recording again.

Halfway through his third listen through, the monitor in his room sprung to life. Fuji glanced up, finding Monotaro and Monodam sitting in… some garish looking armchairs. The image on the screen was so… still that Fuji figured it might even be a picture. Either way, the two bear toys began talking, and Fuji decided to listen.

“Heya, students!” Monotaro said. “Seems like we’ve all experienced the motive!”

“NOT-ALL-OF-US.” Monodam corrected. “HOWEVER-IT-MATTERS-NOT. PLEASE-REPORT-TO-THE-DINING-HALL-FOR-FURTHER-INSTRUCTION.” And with Monodam’s part said, the screen winked off, leaving Fuji alone with the motive and his thoughts.

It took him a few minutes, but he eventually came out of his room, still staring down with worry at his Monopad. Sure, his brother said everything was fine, but… well, if everything was fine, then would Monokuma really be dangling this over their heads? Would he give them nothing and expect something out of it?…

“Heya, buddy!” A shout snapped Fuji out of his thoughts, and he jumped a little in surprise as Kimura waltzed over and slung an arm around his shoulder. “How’s it hangin’?”

“Kimura...” Fuji said, brow furrowing.

“I was waiting for you, my man.” Kimura said, grinning. “I wanted somebody to walk to the Dining Hall with, since, like, arriving by yourself is totally not chic, y’know?”

“You seem… awfully fine with this...” Fuji said, glancing suspiciously at Kimura.

“Do I?” He asked, cocking his head. “Hmmmmm...” Kimura hummed, glancing away even as he began moving, which dragged Fuji along with him by extension. “Well, maybe it’s just that, deep down, I’m an isolated sadsack with a blackened heart, one with no relationships worth endangering.”

“I-” Fuji began, caught off guard by the sudden, heavy words.

“...pfft.” Kimura’s lips curled up in a repressed grin, which quickly collapsed into a laugh. “Pfahahaha! I’m just messin’ around!” With his free hand, he leaned over and slapped his knee. “You should have seen the look on your face, though! Priceless!”

“Y-Yeah… sure.” Fuji shot Kimura a look and grabbed his arm, moving it off of his shoulders.

“Aw, lighten up a little bit.” Kimura said, sighing and shaking his head. “You don’t look good with your face scrunched up like that.”

“...this isn’t a joke, you know.” Fuji said, expression settling into a deep frown. “This is serious.”

“Oh, believe me.” Kimura replied as the two of them arrived at the Dining Hall. “I know.” And without looking back at him, Kimura shoved the Dining Hall doors open and strolled inside. Fuji let the doors swing shut, clicking closed behind Kimura. That Kimura… he was definitely somebody to keep an eye on… Fuji felt almost like Kimura was aware of something more than he was letting on. But what that could even be?…

Fuji shook his head. He could spend hours thinking about something that he had no proof for. The only thing he could do right now was follow along with Monokuma’s desires, as much as he didn’t want to, in hopes that it would lead to some clues or a way to escape that didn’t involve… death.

After taking another few moments to compose himself a bit more, Fuji pushed the doors open and headed inside the Dining Hall. Only a few figures were inside, which meant either Fuji was early or everybody else was late. Sasabe sat in the same place she did before, her hat tilted back so she could look at the other two at her table. Kuno sat across from her, head propped up on an arm. She pointedly looked away from Kimura, who sat next to her and tried to get her attention by jabbering at her.

Fuji approached the table, clearing his throat quietly to announce his presence. Kimura and Sasabe both directed their stares towards him, and the former offered a grin and a peppy wave. Kuno remained staring away, seemingly lost in thought.

“Hey Fuyo.” Sasabe said, tilting her hat at him in greeting. “Glad to see you make it back in one piece.” She shot him a toothy grin. “Was your motive any fun?”

“...” Fuji didn’t reply, simply directing a weary stare in Sasabe’s direction as he took a seat at the table.

“Aw, he didn’t think it was very interesting.” Kimura said dismissively, flapping a hand a Fuji. “You wanna know what he said?” Kimura put his hands on his hips and moved side to side as he ‘repeated’ what Fuji had told him in the hall. “’This isn’t a joke, you know’. He said that to me!”

“Not a joke, huh?” Sasabe asked, pursing her lips in thought. “This must be pretty serious.”

“Psh. It wasn’t that bad.” Kimura replied.

“Can you two shut up?” Kuno asked, glancing at them out of the corner of her eyes. “Are either of you capable of thinking?”

“Nope.” Kimura shook his head.

Kuno simply sighed. She returned to staring forward, ignoring everybody at the table. When it was clear he wasn’t gonna get any more reactions out of Kuno, Kimura went back to talking to Sasabe, who responded enough for it to be considered a conversation. Fuji simply tuned them out and pulled out his Monopad. The ‘Motives’ screen stared back at him, making his stomach drop.

Over the next half hour, the rest of the others trickled in. Honda was first, simply making his way to one of the tables and sitting down. Amami and Goto were next. To Fuji’s surprise, it seemed like Goto was trying to talk to Amami, to no avail. The Ultimate Adventurer had a hand threaded into his hair, and Fuji could tell that his fingers were digging into his scalp. He stared down at his Monopad and ignored Goto for the most part.

Soon after them came Jitsuko and Esumi. Jitsuko didn’t seem particularly phased, her hands buried in her pockets, and her typical scowl on her face. Esumi only offered Fuji a weak wave before following Jitsuko, and the two sat at a separate table from the recently arrived boys. Chujo came in a little afterwards, and plodded over to Jitsuko and Esumi’s table, where he sat.

After them came Uma and Valentine. The former was attempting to comfort the latter, who looked very downcast. As they passed by, Fuji heard Valentine mentioned how Hiramoto hadn’t opened the door, or even responded when she knocked. Uma led her to Honda’s table, and they sat down there. Valentine let out a melancholy sigh and Uma pat her on the back. After them came Ikari, who rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands. He shuffled over to where Honda, Uma, and Valentine sat and gently placed himself there.

The final chunk of students slowly flowed in after that. Tadamori stomped in, looking frazzled as she ran her hands through her hair, her jaw clenched tightly. She tromped over to the table with Chujo, Jitsuko, and Esumi and sat herself down, ignoring Esumi’s wave. Next was Hiramoto, whose red eyes and stained cheeks betrayed that she was crying. She shuffled over to the table Valentine was at, and quickly began getting fussed over by Valentine and Uma.

Dewa was last to arrive. His brow was furrowed, face scrunched up in a deep sense of frustration that almost seemed unnatural. His hands were deep in his pockets, and he dragged his feet as he walked, gaze directed downwards. As the doors clicked shut behind him, he finally looked up, surveying the room for a few moments. Upon spotting the table Fuji was at, he made his way over, pulling out the chair next to Fuji and dropping himself into it.

“Waju, how’s it kickin’?” Sasabe greeted.

“Not looking too hot.” Kimura commented, putting his head in his hands and smiling.

“...” Dewa sneered at the two of them, not even offering them a quip before turning to Fuji and half smiling at him. “Yo, Fuji. Was your motive fucked up too?”

“I… yeah, a little.” Fuji nodded, crossing his arms. “It wasn’t completely horrible, content-wise, but… well, there are a few implications that Monokuma giving this to us brings up that I really don’t like...”

“Huh.” Dewa said, putting a hand to his chin in thought. “I… didn’t think about it like that...”

“It’s obvious that this motive is far worse than we currently give it credit for.” Kuno spoke up suddenly, still not turning to face any of them. “For example, how did Monokuma acquire these recordings? And for that matter, considering they’re recordings and not live audio, what happened to the people on the other side of the recordings?”

“I-” Fuji started to reply, when he was cut off.

“Who knows, really?” Kimura responded. When Fuji glanced at him, he was leaning back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head. “I don’t see it as too big of a deal. The way I see it, there are two cases. One, Monokuma is keeping them alive in order to hold this over our heads.” Everybody at the table stared at Kimura as he spoke, aside from Kuno. “In that case, they’re fine. No point in hurting them if they’re being used as our motivation. Case two,” he continued, “He got what he wanted from them and doesn’t need ‘em anymore. In that case, we don’t gotta worry about the motive because the people on the other side of these recordings are-”

“Aaaaaalright! I’m back!” A squeaky voice cut Kimura off, who didn’t seem particularly perturbed. The sixteen students in the Dining Hall glanced over in the direction of the voice, finding Monokuma strolling across one of the tables. “Didja guys miss me?”

“Not particularly.” Sasabe said, stretching her arms.

“Yes, well I wasn’t addressing you.” Monokuma replied, glaring. “I don’t talk to delinquents who refuse to participate in class activities.”

“Boo.” Sasabe put on an exaggerated pout and crossed her arms, like she was a child. “Phooey.”

“Should have participated.” Monokuma stated simply. He then clasped his stubby arms behind him and turned to face the rest of the group. “ _Anyways_. For everybody who’s _not_ a delinquent, I’d like to talk a little more about my lovely motive, as I’m sure you’re all curious about.”

“H-Hell yeah we are!” Tadamori shouted, slamming her palms onto the table and standing up. Chujo, apparently half asleep, started, while Esumi held out her hands, as if to try and calm Tadamori down. The action went ignored, and Tadamori frantically waved a hand around. “What the hell was the deal with that shit, huh?!”

“Yes, I’d like some answers, myself.” Goto said, crossing his arms.

“And you’ll get some!” Monokuma announced. Then, his sharp grin grew vicious as he leaned forward, red eye glinting. “...Maybe.”

“...maybe?” Amami asked. He looked… nervous. His jaw was visibly clenched, and he drummed on the table with his fingers. “What do you mean ‘maybe’?”

“Weeeeeell… see, I thought that just a little message like this was a little boring, y’know?” Monokuma explained. “There isn’t really much stake in things if you all just receive a quick, lame little message from your loved ones. Sure, there’s a little ‘oomph’, but it doesn’t really have the kind of punch that I like in a motive.”

“S-So… so, what then?” Valentine asked, glaring. She had scooted her chair closer to Hiramoto’s, the taller girl shivering and holding her satchel up to her face. “What does that even mean?”

“It means,” Kuno said, finally turning to look at Monokuma. “That there’s more to this motive than just the voices of our loved ones.”

“You catch on fast!” Monokuma praised. “Yup yup, this motive has a part two to it!”

“And what does this ‘Part Two’ entail?” Honda asked.

“Simple, really.” Monokuma said. “The messages you’ve received aren’t the whole part, as you might have noted earlier.”

“’Murder for more’...” Fuji murmured, the message at the end of the recording bubbling up in his mind.

“W-Wait...” Dewa began.

“Correct!” Monokuma shouted, ignoring the Ultimate Film Critic. “If somebody commits a murder and gets away with it, they’re free to leave the Ultimate Cruise Liner, return to dry land, and see what’s become of their family, friends, or whoever it was on the other end that you bastards cared about!”

“That isn’t the part two, though, is it?” Kimura suddenly spoke up, leaning back in his chair. Fuji turned to him in surprise. Another wave of shock washed over him when he turned to find Monokuma staring blankly at the grinning Kimura.

“The hell are you talking about?” Jitsuko asked.

“I mean, c’mon. The whole ‘murder somebody’ thing isn’t really a ‘part two’, if you think about it. Since it’s the whole goal of the motive, after all. ‘Part Two’ implies a secondary stipulation, not a desired outcome.” The Dining Hall was quiet as Kimura finished, and he glanced around at the others. “What?”

“You know.” Monokuma broke the silence. “I really don’t appreciate brats like you stealing my spotlight.” His voice was flat, which worried Fuji more than if he was visibly angry.

Kimura didn’t seem phased, simply shrugging. “Shouldn’t have dragged it on so long, then. Not my fault you were so dramatic.”

Monokuma was dead silent for a few moments. The silence that settled over the Dining Hall felt almost oppressive, like it was pushing down on Fuji’s shoulders and was the reason he was slouching in his chair. And then, just like that, Monokuma continued talking, as though Kimura had never spoken to begin with.

“As for the part two of the motive, I’ve prepared a little bit of fun for the lot of you.” Monokuma said, turning to pace on the table he was on. “As was pointed out earlier, your motives aren’t the complete picture. I could have given it all to you guys upfront, but where’s the fun in that?”

“So… part two is the rest of the message?” Fuji asked, finding his composure.

“Yup!” Monokuma nodded, glancing over at Fuji. “Of course, I’m going to give you guys a couple of days as a grace period, just to let the despair of the motive sink in a little bit. After that, for every day that there isn’t a murder, I’ll provide a little bit more of the motive. And I’m sure _that_ will eventually get your butts in gear and kick this Killing Game off with a bang!” He turned fully back to the group and looked them over. “Oh, and I’m not too sure what it’ll be, but any student who takes the initiative and murders during the grace period will get themselves a nice little bonus prize! Any questions?”

“W-Wait, I… I don’t get any of this.” Ikari said, looking around in fear. Fuji could see a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. “What… how did you get this recording of my-?”

“Oh my god.” Monokuma groaned, putting a stubby paw to his face. “You can’t be this dumb, right?”

“Huh?” Ikari started, eyes widening as he looked at Monokuma.

“That’s the whole motive!” Monokuma barked, causing Ikari to jump in his seat. “You’re not _supposed_ to know! That’s the point!” He sighed angrily, shaking his head. “If you, any of you in this room, want to know what happened to the person on the other end of your message, then kill somebody! It’s that simple! Ugh.”

“Ok, so I have a question.” Chujo said, raising his hand.

“...you know what? No.” Monokuma shook his head. “No, you guys have lost your question privileges. No mores questions about the motive.”

“Aw, what?” Sasabe spoke up. “Laaaaame.”

“You didn’t even watch the motive!” Tadamori shouted. “I had questions too!”

“Hey, let’s step back and think a little bit...” Amami spoke up, attempting to calm Tadamori down.

“No! This is fucked up!” She screeched, voice like fingernails on a chalkboard. “I got stuff I wanna know, and you fuckwits ruined it!”

Most of the group quickly devolved into a shouting match as everybody got up from their tables to approach each other. Fuji found himself swept forward, due to a suspiciously convenient bump from Kimura, and stumbled into the group with the others. His voice wasn’t nearly as loud, though he tried to get the attention of his classmates anyways. Right as he took a deep breath, prepping himself to be heard, however…

“ENOUGH!”

Honda’s voice resonated throughout the Dining Hall. The group instantly went silent, surprised by the sudden volume of Honda’s voice. Fuji felt like he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to. Even Tadamori went quiet, frozen mid shout.

Honda sighed, running a hand through his mohawk. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the silence of the room settled into a thick cloud around him. He didn’t even seem to notice. After a few moments, Honda opened his eyes back up and looked around the room.

“Okay.” He said simply. “Now that we’re quiet, let’s start from the beginning. Monokuma,” Honda turned to address the bear in question, only to find him missing. He stared blankly for a few moments before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Dammit.”

“Well great. Now we get nothing for real.” Tadamori threw her hands up. “I’m out of here.” She stood up quickly, shaking her head.

“Wait-” Honda tried to stop her, but she kept walking.

“No, fuck this.” Tadamori replied, and stormed out of the Dining Hall, feet heavy on the carpeted floor.

“I’m gonna go, if we’re done here.” Chujo said, standing up and stretching.

“No, we’re not done.” Honda said, annoyance quickly seeping into his voice.

“I’m leaving.” Jitsuko stood up, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “C’mon Esumi, let’s go.” Her part said, Jitsuko started plodding towards the exit. Esumi nodded before trotting after her, and Chujo followed the two after a moment. After that, Goto left without a word, and Amami clenched and unclenched his fists before following.

“...What now?” Valentine asked. She looked between the remaining students, a concerned frown on her face. Hiramoto sniffled at her side, rubbing her cheeks.

“I suppose we’ll have to pick this up another time.” Honda replied, shaking his head. “When everybody is ready to sit down and talk.”

“If we’re formally adjourning, then I’ll be going.” Kuno said, standing up. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and shrugged. “I’ll be around. Probably.” Without giving anybody a chance to stop her, Kuno strolled out of the Dining Hall.

“I guess we’re done here.” Honda stood up as well, sighing. He glanced at the rest of the group. “We’ll talk tomorrow. Just… get some rest. Or something.”

“R… right.” Fuji said.

“Ugh.” Dewa grunted, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

“...” Honda took another second to look over everybody who was still there, and then wordlessly turned on his heel and left.

“H-Hey! Hey Honda, wait!” Ikari suddenly jumped from his chair to follow after him, jogging out of the Dining Hall after Honda.

“Hmm.” Uma hummed, watching after them. “I think I’ve got something I’d like to look into.” She bounced to her feet, offering Fuji a salute and a smile. “Arrivederci, friends. I’ll let everybody know the results of my search, if I find anything.” And then she was gone, just like everybody else.

Fuji looked around. Now that the others had mostly filtered out, only six of them remained in the Dining Hall. He, Dewa, Sasabe, and Kimura were all at one table, while Valentine sat with Hiramoto at another.

“Everybody’s so down in the dumps.” Sasabe suddenly said. “That’s kinda lame.”

“What are you even saying?” Dewa asked, annoyance lacing his voice. “You didn’t even listen to the motive. What would you know?”

“I know that this is super lame.” Sasabe replied. “Hmm… how to cheer the others up…” She tapped her finger on her chin. Fuji opened his mouth to say something when Sasabe’s eyes lit up. She bounced to an upright position in her seat. “I got it!”

“What?” Kimura asked, cocking his head.

“Well, I personally enjoy taking a nice swim when I feel under the weather.” Sasabe said, looking proud of herself. “Maybe we should all go for a swim!”

“You’re the only one with a swimsuit.” Dewa pointed out, frowning.

“Weeeeell… that’s not completely true.” Kimura replied, grinning. “There are some swimsuits in the Knick Knack Shop.” He turned to Sasabe, ignoring Dewa’s weary scowl. “And I love your idea! Swimming is so much fun!”

“It’s a pretty good idea.” Valentine offered, a small smile on her face. She turned to the girl at her side, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Right, Hiramoto?”

“I-I-I… d-don’t like… sw… wimming...” The girl in question managed. Fuji noted Valentine’s forlorn look, but didn’t comment.

“Right, so it’s settled then!” Sasabe suddenly said, jumping from her seat. To Fuji’s surprise, she seized his wrist, yanking him to his feet.

“H-Hey!” He yelped, attempting to pull his wrist away. Sasabe didn’t relinquish her grip, merely taking a step forward so she was closer to him. “What are you talking about?”

“Fuyo, you’re tired of seeing everybody all sad and down in the dumps, right?” Sasabe asked. “This whole ‘motive’ thing really put a damper on our moods.” She used her free hand to tap at her chin. “And I think that everybody being in a bad mood is, like, super not conducive to working together, right?”

“Wh...” Fuji found himself at a loss for words. Despite the fact that he agreed with her words, hearing his thoughts echoed through Sasabe of all people surprised him more than a little bit. “U-Uh… I mean, yeah, definitely.” He nodded. “I… uh, agree. Like, actually.”

“Great!” Sasabe shouted, staring to drag him out of the room. “So that’s why we’re going to plan a pool party!”

“Wait, what?!” Fuji dug his heels in. “H-Hold on! You’re going too fas-”

“Don’t complain!” Sasabe replied, laughing. She suddenly twisted Fuji’s wrist, forcing him to bend his arm and lean forward. When he did that, Sasabe finally let go, choosing to instead hoist Fuji onto her shoulders in a fireman carry. Her strength wasn’t surprising, but Fuji still found himself startled into inaction by the way his world flipped upside down as he was thrown over Sasabe’s shoulders like a ragdoll. “We’ve got things to plan!”

“Wait, what the hell are you doing?!” Dewa shouted, jumping out of his chair as Sasabe manhandled Fuji. “Don’t just fuckin’ leave! Stop!”

Sasabe laughed again and sprinted out of the Dining Hall, Fuji on her shoulders and Dewa hot on her heels. As the exited, their voices faded into silence, leaving Kimura, Valentine, and Hiramoto alone in the Dining Hall. Kimura got out of his seat.

“This sounds like fun. I’m interested to see how this plays out.” He said, a grin on his face. Clasping his hands behind his head, Kimura strolled away.

“...I have no idea what’s going on.” Valentine sighed.

Hiramoto wiped at her cheeks and nodded in agreement.


End file.
